21st June 2005, 07:33 PM
Quote:quote:Everyday field archaeologists interpret geophysics plots without in many cases any idea of the principals involved - what is the difference. Similarly accepting the date of pottery, the C14 date or the environmental analysis without a detailed knowledge.
I think a basic understanding of field archaeology is neccessary but the issue is to what degree before specialisation is acceptable anwhat should be involved
I think we may be moving towards an interesting point here. Are field archaeologists who primarily dig specialists then? Or are we serving a necessary apprenticeship before specializing?
I firmly believe that experienced "diggers" (to use a term I hate) are specialists in their own right and should get specialist rates! However, I also believe that without field experience no specialist is going to be as good as one with field experience. The more the better. It should be mandatory for consultants, curators, and most specialisms that I can think of, and not just the pitiful amount University requires.