22nd August 2011, 01:41 PM
Jack Wrote:Not entirely true. A pipeline may have several sites along it. Not all archaeology is unknown, especially if you've done a decent DBA, geophysics and trial-trenching.
Also on site a supervisor/PO picks who gets sent where, or, who does what area, who digs that grave, who gets to mattock off that 0.5m thick layer etc etc. Lots of choices.
On a management level staff preferences can be taken into account when deciding who gets sent to which job (sometimes) as long as people aren't being too much of an arse.
So if Mr A is only after more cash and isn't particularly bothered about juicy archaeology, he's an ideal candidate for that pipeline job with lots of opportunities for overtime but low potential for decent archaeology (narrow easement).
Whereas Miss B loves archaeology and would prefer to dig juicy archaeology and doesn't want to do overtime.........so no pipeline for her, but that large open-area excavation of a graveyard/ settlement etc....
I agree (I used to be a kitchen porter!). But that's not the point here. Maybe I should have started the title with 'Given the choice.......'
At a site level that is true, but I meant more in general - for example, nationally there could be a year where British commercial archaeology didn't find anything especially exciting, but on a single site obvious certain elements would be more interesting than others. One would hope everyone got a fair shot at everything, unless they specified otherwise, but on the other hand, unless you feel you are being deliberately victimised and not allowed to work on the bits you would really like to, it's difficult to have a genuine complaint.
Nothing is likely to conform conveniently to a poll at the end of the day.