I am writing a career term paper about archaeology. I was wondering if you could give me some information on the basics of archaeology (ex. wages, purpose, general info, etc.).

Dr. dig responds:

Archaeologists have many different jobs that can range from working in museums and teaching in universities to doing research in laboratories and in the field. There are archaeologists who specialize in bones and others who just study pottery. Some archaeologists are scuba divers, others are pilots who survey sites from the air. The variety is tremendous...and so are the salaries, experience required, training, education, etc.

Here's an idea that might make a great paper for you - contact your local or state archaeologist for an interview either over the telephone or in person. If they are in your area, you might even try to schedule a tour of their lab. Perhaps there is a science museum, history center, or state university in your area that employs archaeologists whom you could interview.