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Life as a professional archaeologist is often not what many people expect. Follow Wessex Archaeology’s London & South East Office's newest recruit ‘Kent Jones’ as he learns the Bear Necessities of becoming an archaeologist http://www.wessexarch.co.uk/kent/bear-necessities

Why does pottery become scarce during the Saxon/Anglian period... discuss.

We say it so glibly, as if it is a given... and mumble when asked. why..

so come on... give us a reason... and it better be good!

I am not sure if anyone has ever applied for one of these, but here is my tale.....

The CSCS card allows for persons to qualify for a valid card based upon academic qualification. On the CSCS card web site these qualifications are listed and include 'Archaeology'. You still have to undertake and pass the CSCS card test (in this case the Managers and Professionals (MAP) test). And then contact the CSCS card issue department. Thats when the problems start....

Firstly you have to post a copy of your degree certificate to the CSCS centre and then ring to finalise the transcation. That part is pretty straightforward and efficient, as is accessing details of your successful test result. The problem comes with how your degree certificate describes your course. If it says anything other than just 'Archaeology'....so for example 'Archaeology and Anthropology', 'Archaeology and Ancient History' or as in my case 'Landscape Archaeology and GIS'.....your application will not be approved.

All however is not lost. You are advised to send a copy of your degree certificate to another department of CITB (Construction Industry Training Board) who will make a decision on your qualification (whether it falls within the range of approved qualifications)....except their answer is to refer it to the National Construction College of CITB....who then suggest that you ring another person at CITB...who then refer you back to the team supervisor of the original CSCS card operator who told you that they were unable to approve your qualification as it says something more than just 'Archaeologist'.....at present I am sitting by the phone waiting for a return phone call from that supervisor. I am hopeful they may be able to provide an answer.....

BUT...in preparation for that phone call, and the subesquent letter of clarification I will be writing to the CITB, I wondered if people would be willing to share with me the title that appears on their qualification certificate (ie 'Archaeology and Anthropology', 'Archaeology and Ancient History' 'Classical Archaeology' etc etc), so that I can provide CITB with an inclusive list of 'Archaeology' qualification titles....many thanks

Update: Got a call back from a really helpful person who totally understood the situation and admitted that so few archaeologists have ever applied for this version of the CSCS card that the question of clarifying the precise wording of appropriate qualifications has never arisen. Someone else is going to call me back tomorrow to discuss this further. I am thinking that maybe this is something that FAME/IfA could advise CITB on....any suggestions would be gratefullly accepted.

Person on Facebook asked this:

Quote:I'm looking for a short course in planning and heritage, do any exist? https://www.facebook.com/groups/BAJRarch...p_activity

Saturday was the Tay and Fife Archaeology Conference and as one does, I video recorded the talks. As I get the speakers permissions I will post them to this thread for people to watch. First up Derek Hall on the Archaeology of Sugar Production. Pretty handy stuff to know if you are doing historical archaeology. Has anyone else dug something similar?

[video=youtube;G7DF1UCo7e8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7DF1UCo7e8[/video]

I have seen a couple of newspaper articles in recent weeks suggesting that users of photography drones should be in possession of a CAA licence (rough cost £1000). Does anyone know the practical details of a licence for archaeological use? Do we need a licence at all? http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/...74594.html

Sorry for not posting for so long I have been busy.

In England at least there is a shortage of archaeologists.

Market forces would suggest that people will start paying more.

Can this situation be maximised?

Dr Peter Wardle

A client of mine has just suggested that I lost her a bid on some land (which had the word Manor in the address). I had said to her get an evaluation or that a £40000 claw back or they could share the costs would just about cover it. I don't know which one she went with (it wasn't evaluation) but I do know the seller knows thats what I had said as he was the one that walked me round the land. What my clients is saying is that the other bidders did not even think about the archaeology and that the seller had gone with one of them. I have tried two defences so far, one is that the other bidders had thought about archaeology because I would have thought that the seller would be honour bound to tell them that the archaeology could cost up to £40000 and have taken that into their costs. (the other is that the seller was sexist). None of these reasons have gone down well Just wondered if anybody had been through this? Does the seller have to tell the other bidders?

Just snapped my KRAFSE on a roman villa and am basically lost without it. Have had it welded twice before but I gave the villa a good whack and I don't think the welds will line up well enough to save it.

Hi everyone!

Have recently left the world of archaeology to train to become a primary school teacher!

I'm looking to run a number of archaeology classes and was looking for some advice from you learned chaps and chappesses

1. Lots of children regularly ask 'How did did it end up becoming buried?' How would you answer that one, especially out in the fields?

2. I've moved to Scotland and am trying to enhance my finds handling collection that I've built over the years (legitimately from discards mind!) with (mainly metalwork) bits such as coins, brooches, shot, etc. that I used to have access to through my unit but can't access any more. I don't want to buy off Ebay/antique shops as I provenance the material and Scotland don't have the PAS - does anyone have any bright ideas?

Thanks in advance! :face-approve: