I am interested in entering the field of Archaeology and am quite curious as to the kinds of activities and responsibilities that are connected with this line of work. For example, describe a typical day for you and what an unusually intriguing day consists of.

Dr. dig responds:

Archaeology is a great career! It is a job that involves a lot of physical work, that takes you out of doors in all kinds of climates. Archaeologists must be fit and healthy and they must be prepared to get dirty! Because archaeological sites are not always conveniently located near modern shops and conveniences, archaeologists must be willing to suffer a few weeks or more living in less than luxurious circumstances, sometimes with outdoor lavatories, campires for cooking and no washing machines for grubby clothes.

Archaeologists, of course, don't dig all the time. When they are not digging, they are writing up the results of their excavations and publishing field reports. Some archaeologists teach in universities or work in museums during the months when they are not digging.

Archaeologists have many responsibilities. One of the most important jobs of the archaeologist is to make a full report of the results of an excavation. If a site is not properly recorded, the information is lost forever. It is an archaeologist's responsibility to make sure that he or she has been a careful steward of the past and that the remains of the past are always available to the public for future study.