28th January 2014, 02:08 PM
...........Like an algae covered monster rising from some fetid pool of evil The School of Jack re-emerges to ease the boredom, poison your mind and hopefully save some from the crushing iron-clad wheels of commercialism......
Course 201: Lesson 2 Watch your back, cover you nethers.
Now that you've been gently eased through assistant supervising on a site under the kind tutelage of a seasoned veteran your ready to start to learn the skills required to successfully run a site yourself.
'Best way ta learn is ta chuck em in at the deep end and see who swims.'
- (Hitler)
So what will your first lone assignment be? A gentle two trench evaluation? Or maybe a test pit into an exciting prehistoric mound?
No, more likely you'll be sent to watch a horde of machines rip a 10m wide corridor across some blasted moor......the dreaded watching brief of doom!
Now, you could be lucky. But don't count on it.
A large proportion of commercial archaeology revolves around a long drive to a blurry dot of an even blurrier map to watch some construction crew dig a hole (or several) in a road.
Watching briefs vary form your typical non-job of monitoring the excavation of access pits over existing services in a sensitive area (e.g. scheduled monument, conservation are etc.) to following a bunch of machines for miles on a high-powered gas main or road scheme.
Some are mindlessly dull, the practitioner can go months without seeing anything other than topsoil finds. Some are heartbreaking, watching topsoil being removed by bulldozers or knowing that the engineers are sending you on goose chase after goose chase trying to keep you from where they are stripping today.
Some have strange conditions such as the archaeologist cannot dictate the depth of stripping, or can't talk to the public or even members of the same company about what they are doing.
One thing will be sure, you'll be isolated, alone and under pressure not to get in the way...........
Though its not all bad. Good archaeological companies provide good support, usually down the phone and even training. Often new staff start on 'easy' watching briefs to gain confidence with dealing with clients, groundcrews etc, before being moved onto larger more difficult ones. Some clients really value archaeology and bend over backwards to assist, some construction project managers likewise.
But as commercial pressures bite, it can be a case of 'who we got that can drive and can start tomorrow?
Watching briefs are a whole different world to the uninitiated. They are an introduction to the foibles, pitfalls and unpleasantness of the construction industry.
The School of Jack advises the practitioner to read any documentation carefully, keep your WSI close to hand. Be helpful, polite, stand your ground (but be professional) where necessary, but equally work with the groundcrews not against them - they are not the enemy. But overall KEEP YOURSELF SAFE! don't jump into a trench to look at the section if it looks dangerous, even if others are.
Take lots of photographs (photographic evidence can sometimes get you out of trouble) these are the main proof you were there, saw that trench opened and backfilled etc. Watch, listen and learn everything you can. Not just about archaeology, but how construction is carried out, organised and what machines do what and how safe they are (or not).
Talk to the groundcrews/engineers. They are people too, just doing their jobs. They can be a useful mine of information and can help pass any boring days.
[SIZE=2][/SIZE][SIZE=2][/SIZE][SIZE=2][/SIZE][SIZE=2][/SIZE]
Course 201: Lesson 2 Watch your back, cover you nethers.
Now that you've been gently eased through assistant supervising on a site under the kind tutelage of a seasoned veteran your ready to start to learn the skills required to successfully run a site yourself.
'Best way ta learn is ta chuck em in at the deep end and see who swims.'
- (Hitler)
So what will your first lone assignment be? A gentle two trench evaluation? Or maybe a test pit into an exciting prehistoric mound?
No, more likely you'll be sent to watch a horde of machines rip a 10m wide corridor across some blasted moor......the dreaded watching brief of doom!
Now, you could be lucky. But don't count on it.
A large proportion of commercial archaeology revolves around a long drive to a blurry dot of an even blurrier map to watch some construction crew dig a hole (or several) in a road.
Watching briefs vary form your typical non-job of monitoring the excavation of access pits over existing services in a sensitive area (e.g. scheduled monument, conservation are etc.) to following a bunch of machines for miles on a high-powered gas main or road scheme.
Some are mindlessly dull, the practitioner can go months without seeing anything other than topsoil finds. Some are heartbreaking, watching topsoil being removed by bulldozers or knowing that the engineers are sending you on goose chase after goose chase trying to keep you from where they are stripping today.
Some have strange conditions such as the archaeologist cannot dictate the depth of stripping, or can't talk to the public or even members of the same company about what they are doing.
One thing will be sure, you'll be isolated, alone and under pressure not to get in the way...........
Though its not all bad. Good archaeological companies provide good support, usually down the phone and even training. Often new staff start on 'easy' watching briefs to gain confidence with dealing with clients, groundcrews etc, before being moved onto larger more difficult ones. Some clients really value archaeology and bend over backwards to assist, some construction project managers likewise.
But as commercial pressures bite, it can be a case of 'who we got that can drive and can start tomorrow?
Watching briefs are a whole different world to the uninitiated. They are an introduction to the foibles, pitfalls and unpleasantness of the construction industry.
The School of Jack advises the practitioner to read any documentation carefully, keep your WSI close to hand. Be helpful, polite, stand your ground (but be professional) where necessary, but equally work with the groundcrews not against them - they are not the enemy. But overall KEEP YOURSELF SAFE! don't jump into a trench to look at the section if it looks dangerous, even if others are.
Take lots of photographs (photographic evidence can sometimes get you out of trouble) these are the main proof you were there, saw that trench opened and backfilled etc. Watch, listen and learn everything you can. Not just about archaeology, but how construction is carried out, organised and what machines do what and how safe they are (or not).
Talk to the groundcrews/engineers. They are people too, just doing their jobs. They can be a useful mine of information and can help pass any boring days.
[SIZE=2][/SIZE][SIZE=2][/SIZE][SIZE=2][/SIZE][SIZE=2][/SIZE]