31st May 2013, 10:04 PM
Lesson 2 Professionalism: Subsection 2: Craftmanship (Craftwomanship)[SIZE=2]
Field archaeology is a craft that can only be learnt in the field, on site, from more experienced diggers.
It is difficult, there is much to learn through application and practice.
An archaeologist starts as an apprentice, with time and experience they may gain the skills of a journeyman and eventually those of a master.
Archaeology is physical, the practicioner must become skilled in multiple techniques, must become experienced in recognising the tantalizing traces of past activity in differing geologies.
The apprentice remains so until they have mastered the basic tools of archaeology. Cleaning, finding the edges, taking photographs, drawing sections and plans, recording and filling in registers, and the succession of digging tactics, section, half section, dogleg and digging in plan to capture all the relationships. These are not the end of an archaeologists training. These are the tools, that once mastered can enable an archaeologist to start to learn.
'When you can admit you don't know, you are ready to learn.'
- Ben (The beard)
The practitioner takes pride in their work. Each slot is an opportunity to be better, a chance to learn something new. Everytime an archaeologist breaks the soil they are asking it to give up its secrets. It must be respected. Keep your sections straight and vertical, make your doglegs square and sharpen up and clean out the bottom of your slot.
'Look at those sections, they are a work of art. I love a great, straight section.'
- Mr Swear
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Field archaeology is a craft that can only be learnt in the field, on site, from more experienced diggers.
It is difficult, there is much to learn through application and practice.
An archaeologist starts as an apprentice, with time and experience they may gain the skills of a journeyman and eventually those of a master.
Archaeology is physical, the practicioner must become skilled in multiple techniques, must become experienced in recognising the tantalizing traces of past activity in differing geologies.
The apprentice remains so until they have mastered the basic tools of archaeology. Cleaning, finding the edges, taking photographs, drawing sections and plans, recording and filling in registers, and the succession of digging tactics, section, half section, dogleg and digging in plan to capture all the relationships. These are not the end of an archaeologists training. These are the tools, that once mastered can enable an archaeologist to start to learn.
'When you can admit you don't know, you are ready to learn.'
- Ben (The beard)
The practitioner takes pride in their work. Each slot is an opportunity to be better, a chance to learn something new. Everytime an archaeologist breaks the soil they are asking it to give up its secrets. It must be respected. Keep your sections straight and vertical, make your doglegs square and sharpen up and clean out the bottom of your slot.
'Look at those sections, they are a work of art. I love a great, straight section.'
- Mr Swear
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