Digging 101: [SIZE=3]A guide to being a 'site assistant' on a commercial dig
Course Introduction:[/SIZE]

It has come to my attention that sadly, many of the basic archaeological skills that us older lags were 'gifted' with by an even older generation of diggers are not being passed on to the younger generations.

So in an attempt to remedy this (and to hopefully spice up the forum) I present........


The School of Jack
[SIZE=2] The no-holds barred, tell-it-how it-is, distance-learning course of archaeological digging.
Obviously, what follows is an ego-centric (possibly megalomaniac) view of how to dig...........but that is how I (and others) were taught.

The examples that follow are not directed at any one individual, but at archetypes constructed from several real people.

Feel free to ignore, disagree with the lessons or rant at the School of Jack, but at your own peril.......experience is the universes great teacher.

Also, even The School of Jack can be wrong. Your opinions are important to The School of Jack. We value your feedback, every negative comeback will be noted and filed carefully away (in a cylindrical paper storage device) so that the lessons dictated by The School of Jack can evolve over time as the world inevitably changes.
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Not much going on in here it seems...........so here's something I've always pondered........

What's so great about democracy anyway.

Surely its just all about peer pressure and bullying?

It's true, you never now what you had until it is gone....................

Come back unit of 1...........I miss your peculiar outlook

Archaeologists Against Austerity: in support of the People’s Assembly

We, professional and academic archaeologists, wish to endorse the call for a People’s Assembly Against Austerity (PAAA) at Central Hall Westminster on 22 June this year. We congratulate the lead signatories who launched this call in a letter to The Guardian in February.
With our museums, universities, and heritage services facing cuts, with unemployment and poverty a common experience among archaeologists, we fully support the aim of building a mass campaign against austerity and privatisation. We need a radical alternative based on investment for jobs, homes, public services, and a green transition.
We hope that the PAAA will bring together thousands of trade unionists, students, political activists, anti-cuts campaigners, minority groups, and others determined to defend our society against the effects of a crisis caused by the bankers, the rich, and the casino-economy they engineered.
The assembly will provide a national forum for anti-austerity opinion, which, while increasingly widespread, is barely represented in Parliament and the mainstream media. It could also provide a launch-pad for the wave of protests, strikes, occupations, and mass resistance – nationally and internationally – that we are going to need to defend our jobs, incomes, public services, and heritage in the years ahead.

Dr Umberto Albarella, Senior Lecturer in Archaeozoology, Sheffield University
Dr Maria Emanuela Alberti, IEF Marie-Curie Fellow, Department of Archaeology, Sheffield University
Caitlin McCall, Editor, Current World Archaeology
Professor Emeritus John Collis, Sheffield University
Dr Nadia Durrani, independent archaeologist
Dr Neil Faulkner, Research Fellow, Bristol University
Dr Helen Geake, National Finds Advisor, Portable Antiquities Scheme, Cambridge University, and Time Team
Dr Matthew Hobson, Research Fellow, Leicester University
Professor David Mattingly, Leicester University
Dr Gabriel Moshenska, Lecturer in Public Archaeology, UCL Institute of Archaeology
Dr Rachel Pope, Director of Fieldwork and Lecturer in European Prehistory, Liverpool University
Dr Miles Russell, Senior Lecturer in Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology and Director of Fieldwork, Bournemouth University
Lorna Watts-Rahtz, independent archaeologist

If you are involved un scoping. commissioning, procuring or tendering for archaeological work you should look at the revised draft of the new IfA Standard. It empansises the need for transparency, explicit criteria, and supplier feedback as part of any tender process.

Derrywoone Castle Archaeological Excavation 2013
Volunteers Wanted

The excavation: An excavation will take place at Derrywoone Castle, Barons Court, Newtownstewart, Co. Tyrone, between May 27[SUP]th[/SUP] and June 28[SUP]th[/SUP] 2013. Derrywoone Castle was built by the Scottish Earl of Abercorn, Sir. George Hamilton on his 12,400 acre estate granted to him in 1610, after the flight of the Gaelic Earls. Both Scottish and Irish families farmed on Hamilton’s land around the castle and by excavating there we hope reveal more of the story of the Ulster Plantations. This cross-community project will involve a number of local schools, colleges and volunteers. This project is sponsored by the Department of Culture Arts and Leisure and will be directed in the field by Fintan Walsh (Irish Archaeological Consultancy).

Volunteers:

Age: Over 18 (unless your parents are also volunteering). Ages 16-18 please provide a letter from your parents granting permission to attend.

Activities: You can volunteer for 1 day or for longer. If you come for 1-3 days you can be involved with excavation and washing finds. If you can stay for more than 3 days you will be able to get involved with additional archaeological activities such as surveying, drawing and photography.

Workday: Please arrive on site by 9.30am, we would aim to finish up at about 4.30. There will be lunch and tea breaks. Please bring your own packed lunch and hot drinks.

Tools: All the ‘tools of the trade’ will be provided.

Clothing: Considering the season the weather will be unpredictable so please do wear warm and waterproof clothing and stout shoes or boots. You will get dirty so please wear old clothes and bring gloves.

Facilities: There will be toilets available on site and facilities for hand washing.

How to get there: Further information will be provided on application.

Applications: To apply as a volunteer please contact Colette Rynhart at archaeology@iac.ie for more information and to book your space (as places are limited). No previous experience is required, although willingness to work in the outdoors would be advisable.

Evening All!
I was just wondering if anyone out there had any advice on a good, industry standard Mobile Mapper and Submetre GPS? Is there a make and/or model that is used commercially by a variety of units? I'm only just starting to research this so am a tad clueless at the moment, but I know I'm looking for something that is quite straight forward as it will be used for teaching purposes - but I also want to find something that will enable students to be prepared for using one in professional practice. Any advice welcome...!
Many thanks,
Hannah.

Having been out with members of the York Archaeological Trust's northern branch, Northlight Heritage, and others last week, I posted general kite aerial photography images on Archaeology Live's (York AT) Facebook page.
My entries were deleted!

The reason given on the page, only after asking why the deletion was made, was:

Archaeology Live 'I took them both down as; Nothing to do with the group, nothing that I could thing of being of immediate use to UK members as there are plenty of options available if people searched, with two consecutive post with pictures it takes up a lot of space on the front page, don't know who you are, you have what appears to be a short facebook history with little activity until recently, you were added last Thursday and posted within a short time... basically I chose not to have them there. We have had a lot of 'fun' with people spamming this forum in the past - even getting malecowexcrement legal threats from the spammers when we apologise for the spam levels (now that was funny being it such a tin pot sales shed run by archaeologically incompetent buffoons (obviously my own personal opinion - since they are paranoid enough to be watching)) - but back on comment..... I now just delete things as and when I get chance.'
https://www.facebook.com/groups/ArchaeologyLive/ (The Archaeology Live Facebook page manager has now removed all postings relating to this discussion)

If people 'don't know who you are' you hope they read the posting to find out........... before deleting it!

Is kite aerial photography really held in such low regard?

One of the objectives of our charity (Scottish Charity SC043118) is:
'Promoting the use of kite aerial photograpy as a low-cost, inclusive, environmentally friendly technique for archaeological/heritage photography and promoting the use of any other techniques which may be deemed appropriate by the Trustees'.

We clearly have a long way to go when so readily dismissed with a delete button ;o)

For those of you who have not ventured onto the ARCLAND website, it is full of resources and well worth a look:
http://www.archaeolandscapes.eu/
Current Partners:
http://www.archaeolandscapes.eu/index.ph...tners.html

Glad the forum has reappeared.

Was it just me who couldn't get on over the past day or so?