What are the three core skills a new digger needs

[Wax]

As the general view is that skills are slipping what three core skills does the new digger need?

[Marc Berger]

1. an undergraduate bsc in archaeology. 2 driving licence. 3 Personal income or an aptitude for manipulating benefits.

[P Prentice]

1 demi fluency in polish - dobri
2 insect repellency
3 an interest in arts and crafts

[Marc Berger]

Not sure I understand 2. 2 insect repellency

Presumably there are two types, people who are repellent to insects and people who are not. Are you looking for somebody who is really repellent to insects to keep the insects off the rest of the site?

[Dinosaur]

Probably the only useful outcome (personally) of working for Tempus years ago was the discovery that if you drive a dark blue Landrover slowly round in circles at the far end of the field all the horse-flies go and attack it instead of the diggers (other dark vehicles are available and probably work equally well) - apparently the little bXXXXXXs are programmed to go after the largest dark moving object they can see. Really faded yellow gear means everything else goes after the shiny newbie/banana, although you may get shouted at by the H&S guy. Sometimes leaving yellow buckets on the side of the trench works. Afraid only Skin-so-Soft works with midges (in this case other effective products are not available ) -those citrus candles and most of the other 'repellents' actually seem to attract the little blighters... Only female mosquitos bite and handily they're the ones that make the noise. Get them while they're feeding (ditto horseflies) since they can't fly off as quickly.

And always have a Scotsman called Andrew on site to stick his spade through the unsuspected wasp nest, run around screaming and then hurl himself into the adjacent river }

[P Prentice]

mark has as much use for a banana suit as he does for a wsi but the rest of us pay dearly for the privileges so bestowed

[Mike.T.]

1 demi fluency in polish - dobri

Lol. True.

The ability to hold a shovel the right way round helps too ( even if you don't use it ).

An interest in real ale, Dr Who or collecting Nazi memorabilia are also a pre requiste for any budding archaeologist.

[Wax]

So far
1 Be able to get by in Polish
2 Know which end of the shovel to use
3 Be able to drive

These are all skills the rest are personal attributes or interests. Nothing here needs a degree

[Marc Berger]

Yes that almost covers it all nicely but as prentice alludes they must have marks on their person showing that they have been subject to specific prior authorisation by a fascist.

Article 3

To preserve the archaeological heritage and guarantee the scientific significance of archaeological research work, each Party undertakes:

i. to apply procedures for the authorisation and supervision of excavation and other archaeological activities in such a way as:

a. to prevent any illicit excavation or removal of elements of the archaeological heritage;

b. to ensure that archaeological excavations and prospecting are undertaken in a scientific manner and provided that:

– non-destructive methods of investigation are applied wherever possible;

– the elements of the archaeological heritage are not uncovered or left exposed during or after excavation without provision being made for their proper preservation, conservation and management;

ii. to ensure that excavations and other potentially destructive techniques are carried out only by qualified, specially authorised persons;

iii. to subject to specific prior authorisation, whenever foreseen by the domestic law of the State, the use of metal detectors and any other detection equipment or process for archaeological investigation

Although to be politically correct Nationalsozialismus would do equally as well

[BAJR]

Well you do have to say... if archaeology was that easy... anyone could do it... ah... hold on...

So some form of accreditation should be - and may be a sensible precaution. You see it as fascist. I see it as stopping mad assed have a go saw the time team once ( actually one of my clients) thinking they can do it. They can't if you must be authorised.

So in Order. to start out.

Ability to dig stratigraphically
Ability to record coherently
Ability to drive