About to embark on an excavation that is going to involve a lot of dust, some of it potentially hazardous, which I want gone as soon as poss. Has anyone ever used industrial vacuum equipment to excavate, I have been told it has been tried in Germany. I know that use of the airlift is mandatory in underwater archaeology but what about using it on land, under a standing building?

Careful, it might be hallucinogEeEe**33nnnn..

tiz not a lot of work being advertised guys-anyone know of where its at? This daytime telly business is doin my melon in.......

..knowledge without action is insanity and action without knowledge is vanity..(imam ghazali,ayyuhal-walad)

Is anyone else having problems with the BAJR jobs page today?. I seem able to get the details of the employer, but not the body text about the job itself...Have I to change a setting or someink?

Recently troll asked about IFA standards on detecting on the IFA section of the forum.... So heres a concept to throw to the wind...

There are enough detectorists here and some (hint hint!) with some instructional experieince... -

Would it not be a great concept to aid Curators, Archaeolgists etc... to know just what to expect, ask for, require....

If The deetcting community (who after all have the greatest knowledge in this field) could create / advise etc the creation of such a Guide that lokos at Types of Machines... Methods, Dos - Don'ts, instructions etc... this would fill a real knowledge gap. Would be tempting to ask Gary if he could consider creating an instructional video as well... (for a small fee of course :face-huh which could accompany the documetn.

Talking of which... Instructional videos about several aspects of Arcaheology work.... How to use a dumpy, how to use a Barrow or pickaxe, How to ...etc...

hmmmmmmm What do Curators (and others of course) think? And What do detectorists think... it's kind of like a Guide without being one that is created by people who don't know one end of a Minelab from a Fryingpan...

"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu

We seem to have bunched archaeology/ists into neat parcels under specific headings through history.Our recent ancestors- the rescue era, MSC years, pre and post processualists, antiquarians and the rest, have been labelled with something or other.In what light will archaeology/ists of the last years of the twentieth Century and the beginning of the 21st be seen by future generations? Are there single defining moments that we can identify? What likely ethical and professional frameworks are we likely to be judged by? Positives/negatives? Should we care?

..knowledge without action is insanity and action without knowledge is vanity..(imam ghazali,ayyuhal-walad)

OK who are archaeologists accountable too???
We have all this talk about ,heritage, recording etc.
How can things like this happen????
What back up systems are in place???

now don't all get defencive on me... real answers please.

Quote:quote:Twickenham Museum is seeking information about missing artefacts from Bushy Park Water Gardens excavations in the London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames.

The missing artifacts were excavated by Christopher Currie during excavations in 1997-1999. A full account of the excavations was published in Post-Medieval Archaeology, Volume 37, Part 1 in 2003. The artifacts are listed on pp. 118 - 122 and comprise tin-glazed tiles, pottery and animal bones (not listed).
Unfortunately, Christopher died tragically in May 2005. His colleague, Dr Neil Rushton told us that he has checked the Chris's office and garage archive without success. We have tried the following to no avail:- The Royal Parks, The Crown Estate, Priestmere Properties Ltd, The Museum of London (accession number BHY97), and The British Museum. The BM's conservator, Maria Barlow, says that she handed the tiles to Christopher at the British Museum after conservation in August 1999. They were contained in a plastic 'tuppaware' type box; the box was about 8" x 12-15" x 6" deep and the tiles were wrapped in acid free paper.
We have been involved in research and restoration work on this project since 1996. The restoration of the Water Gardens is now fast approaching and The Royal Parks has been awarded a Heritage Lottery Grant to carry out a partial restoration. Part of the award includes funds to mount an exhibition at the Twickenham Museum http://www.twickenham-museum.org.uk. This exhibition is scheduled to commence in the Spring 2007.
We urgently need to locate these artifacts for use in the exhibition. If anyone has any idea of the location of them, please get in touch.
Colin White,
Treasurer, The Twickenham Museum
Clarence Cottage, Hampton Court Road, Hampton Court, Surrey KT8 9BY
Tel: 020 8977 5198 Tel/Fax: 020 8943 1812 colinhj.white@virgin.net

Having finally returned to the warmth of the house for the rest of the year, finally conceding defeat to the Norwegian autumn blizzards I decided to catch up with a bit of the Outwage backlog. And noticed a strange thing. Has anyone else observed that a number of BAJR advertisers have reduced their wage levels?

First off there was that strange case of Headland Archaeology that was commented on a few weeks ago on the BAJR forum. Despite our Hosts lengthy explanation it still seems at the end of the day pretty much like a wage cut to me.

Now there is Glasgow City Council advertising the job of Assistant Archaeologist at £130 per year lower than the rate the same job attracted in June.

And then there is L-P Archaeology advertising for Archaeologists at BAJR Grade 3 (£279 pw) when they were offering £288pw for the same job exactly one year ago.

And then there are the poor old Irish archaeologists. ASC (Ireland) are offering a draughtsperson 415 euros for a 40 hour week, which due to fluctuations in the euro/sterling exchange rate, now falls below the BAJR minimum for a technical grade. (Well infact falls below the BAJR grade for just about everything!!)

Have I entered a parallel universe or someink? Or is this a worrying new trend?

Europe gets bigger every day.Each and every nation within it undoubtedly has its own unique approach to its heritage. There would be an argument for some sort of pan- european consistency in an ideal world.Particularly as the redevelopment of the newer and less affluent nations will be seen as assets by western businesses. The overall impact on the cultural and ecological landscapes of europe could be devastating. I`m sure there are people already thinking about this (I hope!) and planning as we speak! One of the saddest things I have seen in archaeology in recent years has been the treatment of Human remains from archaeological contexts abroad.Now before I go any further, this is not a rant at another nation! Of course, nations will have their own legislative and cultural frameworks in regards to Human remains. My point is that there are well funded western academic institutions excavating abroad who should know better. Yes, in an ideal world Human remains would enjoy agreed european legislative protection but that is simply not the case.There are some nations that simply discard Human remains from archaeological contexts.Often at source and en masse.I would argue that this practise is in need of discussion.Universities around the world are pro-actively involved in the research and excavation of foreign sites.Not all of them take their professional ethics with them when they go either.The treatment of Human remains and their fundamental value to the archaeological record is a concept in dire need of discussion in a european context.More pressing, is the need to encourage western institutions with academic interests abroad to bring their professionalism with them and where neccesary, lead by example.There are still examples of Human remains being either discarded, left in trays covered in rat droppings years after excavation or, twenty-odd individuals thrown into one wet cardboard box and left in the stores for years.Things are unlikely to change abroad if western academics adopt a similar approach to that of their host nations. I would argue that the majority of western academics are members or fellows of some institute or other and as such should behave accordingly.At home or abroad.How do we approach the issue of Human remains (archaeological) on an ethical and perhaps legislative level in a european context?:face-huh:

..knowledge without action is insanity and action without knowledge is vanity..(imam ghazali,ayyuhal-walad)

Was lucky enough to go to poca 2006 conference in Edinburgh and had the chance to do t`museum. A really stunning building literally packed from top to bottom in goodies. Really well laid out and some innovative and thought-provoking ways of displaying finds too. A really effective bit on the Geology of Scotland (my first time!) was really useful and plenty interesting too. Some of the early metalwork and some of the lithics had us picking our jaws up off the floor and banging yer head on the glass while trying to get a closer look was`nt uncommon.An enormous museum and with plenty fer the kids to be gettin on with too.Well worth a visit but put aside a day to enable a good drool. Tiz free to get in and the staff are all smiley and nice taboot.

..knowledge without action is insanity and action without knowledge is vanity..(imam ghazali,ayyuhal-walad)

Yup - I know....(a bit too 80s archaeologist) but I can't help it... Its my fave festival... happy drinking toasts to my dead friends and family.

happy Samain folks... }

"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu