Rachel with her beautifully excavated kiln

What is your job role?
Project Archaeologist

How long have you worked for Allen Archaeology?
One year and four months

How would describe your excavation technique?
I used to be very meticulous and it would take me ages to find the edges, now I’m much better with a shovel. So I’d go with fast and furious!

How long have you been working in archaeology?
I had one commercial job before this so it’s coming up to just over two years now

How did you get into archaeology?
One of my teachers at school used to be an archaeologist and I was inspired by the practical side of archaeology, rather than just the bookish nature of history. Having said that I enjoy the multidisciplinary nature of archaeology- there’s a lot to be said for the helpful nature of oral history, as I found out on a site a few weeks ago, when I found house foundations which were missing from the map I had but one of the construction workers had handily lived there a few decades before!

What is the best thing about your job?
It’s hard to pick just one thing, I suppose the initial attraction of the job was the chance of finding something spectacular. I’ve already had some amazing finds, including a Mesolithic flint axe on my first ever commercial site. But I’ve come to realise that I really enjoy learning more about the ordinary people who lived in the settlements that we tend to excavate fully. Seeing how the ditches and pits were a part of living landscape makes me feel like our job is worthwhile.

I also enjoy training people and seeing how even after a couple of days the progress they make; that’s another part of the job I really enjoy.

Specialist skills?
Speedy shovelling and I’m quite good at excavating kilns. I developed these skills working on a site in Norfolk, when I excavated a large percentage of the examples we found!

Best site hut biscuit?
Chocolate hobnobs – you can dunk them in tea/coffee but they’re still satisfying as a speedy snack before heading back out on site!