Archaeologists dig what they do!

You might not believe it from watching the movies, but archaeologists don’t just spend all their time digging. To find archaeological sites, they must first do a lot of research. Then, once a site has been located, archaeologists will be involved in cleaning, recording, and researching all of the artefacts they recover. Following the excavation, there will be time spent writing up reports, caring for the objects they uncovered, and sharing their new found discoveries.

There are all sorts of different types of archaeology, and not all of them are concerned with ancient cultures. For example, a forensic archaeologist will study skeletons, and an underwater archaeologist studies shipwrecks. Most of the artefacts in this online exhibition would be of interest to Classical archaeologists, who deal with the remains of anicent civilisations like those of ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt.

Here is what some local archaeologists think about what they do...

One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced as an archaeologist is the sheer volume of work after the earthquakes in Christchurch - no one expected there to be quite so much archaeology or for it to go on for quite as long as it has, but we’ve found some incredible things, and it’s been such a privilege to learn so much more about both Maori and Pakeha in Ōtautahi. It’s also been fantastic to share the results of this work with people, through exhibitions and the blog Christchurch Uncovered.

Katharine Watson, Christchurch Archaeology Project

Some days when you find yourself up to your waist in a bog, or scrambling through supple jack wondering if you are going to wind up down an 80-foot-deep mine shaft, or just sitting at your desk hammering out yet another dry archaeological report, you wonder what it would be like to have chosen another career path. But then you look back at the amazing locations you get to work in, the exciting finds and the interesting histories and you realise that it is these things that, without question, make it all worthwhile."

Kirsa Webb, Archaeologist, Underground Overground Archaeology