Re: Archaeology schools

Posted by nitzsche from 1Cust99.tnt17.sfo3.da.uu.net on August 25, 1998 at 14:56:10:

In Reply to: Re: Archaeology schools posted by Michaelson on August 25, 1998 at 10:08:09:

: : : I was just wondering if any of you have a career in archaeology (or any other career in the history sphere). I've always had a love for history and archaeology in particular and was wondering if someone in the field could tell me if its a good career choice and if so, what kinds of careers can I expect? If you think it'd be better to email me rather than post, thats no problem.

: : I have worked in archaeology for about four years. I graduated from the University of New Mexico with honors (my honors thesis was nothing other than Atlantis!). I visited many sites around the world, but worked primarily in Central America, namely Belize. Last summer I worked at Baking Pot which is a Maya pyramid complex just now being worked on.

: : As far as a career, archaeology has changed a great deal since the 1960s with a movement called "New Archaeology" started, in part, by Lewis Binford. The movement pushed archaeology, primarily in the Americas, away from historical analysis and into quantitative analysis. Field work has remained very similar to the old ways, but since this is only a small part of archaeology, the science as a whole is very different.

: : If archaeology interests you because of history and the old visions of archaeology (Schliemann, Carter... and, of course, Jones) than Americanist archaeology is not the way to go. I'd recommend looking into a Classics program that can be tailored to your interests in archaeology. Some of the larger schools, such as University of Chicago, have some outstanding cross-discipline programs for Classics. Some schools may also offer a specific Classical Archaeology program but I can't think of any off the top of my head. Egyptology is a branch of archaeology that is very unique in its teachings. I don't have any first hand experience with Egyptology aside from a few classes, but this may be another way to go. Your final option is to study archaeology overseas, but that can get quite expensive.

: : If I didn't answer your question or if anyone else wants some more information, feel free to e-mail me at the above address.

: Just in addition, there are indeed several universities who have excellent Egyptology departments, such as Brown, UCLA, and as mentioned above, Chicago. My daughter is currently aiming herself in that direction, and these are the schools she has found with the Classic studies as written about above. Regards. Michaelson

I, too, am working as an archaeologist while working at a degree in archaeology. The work I am involved in is strictly CRM (Cultural Resource Management) work in the Great Basin area. Much of what we do is salvage archaeology, a required archaeological inventory for State and Federal purposes. This is not as thorough as university level science, but it meets legal requirements for land exchanges and development. I concur, that an interdisciplinary approach to archaeology is the way to go. American Archaeology is taking a sour turn. I am a student of Near Eastern Archaeology, as well as Mesoamerica. I simply work in the Great Basin as a job. Not bad--but not an optimal career choice in my opinion.

If Indy-oriented career is what you're looking for, the closest you could get these days would be maybe museologist, classicist, historian, and then teach at a university level. The University of Michigan is your best bet for a interdisciplinary approach to the social sciences.

--nitzsche

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: : : : I was just wondering if any of you have a career in archaeology (or any other career in the history sphere). I've always had a love for history and archaeology in particular and was wondering if someone in the field could tell me if its a good career choice and if so, what kinds of careers can I expect? If you think it'd be better to email me rather than post, thats no problem.

: : : I have worked in archaeology for about four years. I graduated from the University of New Mexico with honors (my honors thesis was nothing other than Atlantis!). I visited many sites around the world, but worked primarily in Central America, namely Belize. Last summer I worked at Baking Pot which is a Maya pyramid complex just now being worked on.

: : : As far as a career, archaeology has changed a great deal since the 1960s with a movement called "New Archaeology" started, in part, by Lewis Binford. The movement pushed archaeology, primarily in the Americas, away from historical analysis and into quantitative analysis. Field work has remained very similar to the old ways, but since this is only a small part of archaeology, the science as a whole is very different.

: : : If archaeology interests you because of history and the old visions of archaeology (Schliemann, Carter... and, of course, Jones) than Americanist archaeology is not the way to go. I'd recommend looking into a Classics program that can be tailored to your interests in archaeology. Some of the larger schools, such as University of Chicago, have some outstanding cross-discipline programs for Classics. Some schools may also offer a specific Classical Archaeology program but I can't think of any off the top of my head. Egyptology is a branch of archaeology that is very unique in its teachings. I don't have any first hand experience with Egyptology aside from a few classes, but this may be another way to go. Your final option is to study archaeology overseas, but that can get quite expensive.

: : : If I didn't answer your question or if anyone else wants some more information, feel free to e-mail me at the above address.

: : Just in addition, there are indeed several universities who have excellent Egyptology departments, such as Brown, UCLA, and as mentioned above, Chicago. My daughter is currently aiming herself in that direction, and these are the schools she has found with the Classic studies as written about above. Regards. Michaelson

: 
: I, too, am working as an archaeologist while working at a degree in archaeology. The work I am involved in is strictly CRM (Cultural Resource Management) work in the Great Basin area. Much of what we do is salvage archaeology, a required archaeological inventory for State and Federal purposes. This is not as thorough as university level science, but it meets legal requirements for land exchanges and development. I concur, that an interdisciplinary approach to archaeology is the way to go. American Archaeology is taking a sour turn. I am a student of Near Eastern Archaeology, as well as Mesoamerica. I simply work in the Great Basin as a job. Not bad--but not an optimal career choice in my opinion.

: If Indy-oriented career is what you're looking for, the closest you could get these days would be maybe museologist, classicist, historian, and then teach at a university level. The University of Michigan is your best bet for a interdisciplinary approach to the social sciences.

: --nitzsche

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