Introducing ...
Today we have a round of quick fire introductory interviews with half of the newcomers:
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| Serina is a 1st year Archaeology student at Sheffield. |
Why manor lodge?
This was my first dig, so I wanted to do some local archaeology, before going more global.
Where would your ideal archaeological excavation take place?
Somewhere in Crete, Myceene, or the near East. I'm interested in the origins of society and agriculture, and trade between the Indus valley and the near East, so I'd love to dig somewhere there.
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| Brian is a masters student on Sheffield's European Historical Archaeology course, who previously graduated from Lycoming College in Pennsylvania with a double major in Anthropology and Near Eastern Archaeology. |
You must be working on your masters dissertation at the moment, what are you focusing on?
The relationship between economic and political organisation in viking age Denmark. That's how I summarise it anyway!
Sounds cool. I don't reckon you'll be finding a lot of viking archaeology at the lodge though ...
That's okay, I'm doing it for the practical experience.
What's your best archaeological story?
When I was digging in Gezer in Israel, we were trying to remove the backfill from a previous excavation so that the features could be exposed for tourists. It was a five week excavation, and we finally thought we had made it to the end of the backfill by week three. That was until we found a coca-cola bottle cap in the trench in week four ... the previous archaeologists had put it in before they started backfilling - it was their way of letting us know where they'd got to!
The relationship between economic and political organisation in viking age Denmark. That's how I summarise it anyway!
Sounds cool. I don't reckon you'll be finding a lot of viking archaeology at the lodge though ...
That's okay, I'm doing it for the practical experience.
What's your best archaeological story?
When I was digging in Gezer in Israel, we were trying to remove the backfill from a previous excavation so that the features could be exposed for tourists. It was a five week excavation, and we finally thought we had made it to the end of the backfill by week three. That was until we found a coca-cola bottle cap in the trench in week four ... the previous archaeologists had put it in before they started backfilling - it was their way of letting us know where they'd got to!
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| Melissa is studying an MSc in Skeletal and Dental Bioarchaeology at UCL. She studied an MSc in Osteology, Paleopathology, and Funerary Archaeology spilt between Sheffield and Bradford in 2001, and also works for the police's crime scene investigation unit. |
What brought you to manor lodge?
I'd never had the opportunity to work on a dig before, and UCL were advertising this one. I was in Sheffield for my BA, and my husband is from Sheffield, so I wanted to do this one. I've had some experience of excavation through the police, but I wanted to learn the practicalities of archaeological excavation, so that I can be called in as an expert by the police!
I'd never had the opportunity to work on a dig before, and UCL were advertising this one. I was in Sheffield for my BA, and my husband is from Sheffield, so I wanted to do this one. I've had some experience of excavation through the police, but I wanted to learn the practicalities of archaeological excavation, so that I can be called in as an expert by the police!
What has been your most interesting experience in archaeology?
Breaking down on the way to Stonehenge with Mike Parker-Pearson and a crate of beers. We couldn't drive on so we just drank the crate. I don't seem to recall if we ever made it to Stonehenge ... !
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Gabrielle is in her first year on the Classical and Historical Archaeology at Sheffield. |
Gabrielle, I gather you're from Barnsley. Did this influence your decision to come to manor lodge this year?
Not exactly. But I wanted to do some local archaeology, something around Sheffield. I didn't know what was up here so it was really exciting when I saw the site.
Have you acquired any good archaeological stories in your first year?
Well, my group has managed to get lost on the way to every single field class we've had so far, through a combination of ... ending up in the middle of nowhere, not knowing how far we had to walk up steep hills ... always late.
What's your dream archaeological excavation?
The pyramids they found in Egypt recently.
Why manor lodge?
In the module I did before Christmas we were looking at the later medieval period, so the Tudor elements of the manor site will tie in with that.
What's the funniest thing you've ever found on a dig?
Not exactly. But I wanted to do some local archaeology, something around Sheffield. I didn't know what was up here so it was really exciting when I saw the site.
Have you acquired any good archaeological stories in your first year?
Well, my group has managed to get lost on the way to every single field class we've had so far, through a combination of ... ending up in the middle of nowhere, not knowing how far we had to walk up steep hills ... always late.
What's your dream archaeological excavation?
The pyramids they found in Egypt recently.
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| Rachael has just finished her second year on Sheffield's Archaeology degree. |
In the module I did before Christmas we were looking at the later medieval period, so the Tudor elements of the manor site will tie in with that.
What's the funniest thing you've ever found on a dig?
Digging in the peak district we found a bottle of special brew from 1963. Maybe the archaeologists from the previous excavation drank it then threw it into the backfill!
Thanks all.
Stay tuned for more introductions tomorrow!
In other news:
The sun turned sadistic today, causing gargantuan amounts of depression in all except for Jon and Matt, who, it was remarked, made the trench sound like the inside of a pinball machine.
And finally ...
By way of introduction, and to facilitate the adaptation process for the new students, the blog is proud to announce its new range of archaeology top trumps, featuring the celebrity archaeologists of manor lodge:
Today: Charlie Hay
Collect them all, and do battle with your friends!
And finally ...
By way of introduction, and to facilitate the adaptation process for the new students, the blog is proud to announce its new range of archaeology top trumps, featuring the celebrity archaeologists of manor lodge:
Today: Charlie Hay
Collect them all, and do battle with your friends!
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