23rd October 2005, 08:33 AM
Sad to say... but on a recent (no names etc) trip abroad I saw two excavations of human remains that fell well short. From one where the skellys were uncoved only when the workmens mattocks cut through the frontal bones of the skull... (lots of info lost in one slice!) to no real understanding of how to even excavte a skelly.. (simple things like leaving hands and feet to last etc) I felt I was watching 1930s archaeology... but then realised that these students would be returning home believing they knew how to dig skellys. They got bored when I gave them a field lecture on how to dig grave cuts and how to recognise and excavate multiple skellys... sigh! [xx(]
Another site had students excavating a site with no skeletal maaterial at all... (the Prof in charge quotes... "yes the sand conditions have disolved the bones" are you mad?? there are chicken bones and goat bones there... are they made of tungstan steel?? ) - on an aside he also excated a site by polaroid... with workmen bringing him piccies every month.. (well the site was over 10km away!)
Standards are slack .... something I would not expect from UK teams. Worse if they return to the UK and practice the same sloppy activity here. From the start there is a right way... there is even a document detailing how to do it for **** sake.. Only when the Unis are brought into line with excavations will this change.....
RANT MODE OFF ............. bzzzzzzzzz
Another day another WSI?
Another site had students excavating a site with no skeletal maaterial at all... (the Prof in charge quotes... "yes the sand conditions have disolved the bones" are you mad?? there are chicken bones and goat bones there... are they made of tungstan steel?? ) - on an aside he also excated a site by polaroid... with workmen bringing him piccies every month.. (well the site was over 10km away!)
Standards are slack .... something I would not expect from UK teams. Worse if they return to the UK and practice the same sloppy activity here. From the start there is a right way... there is even a document detailing how to do it for **** sake.. Only when the Unis are brought into line with excavations will this change.....
RANT MODE OFF ............. bzzzzzzzzz
Another day another WSI?