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The AAL trainee scheme

I graduated from University of Bournemouth in the summer of 2015. I had worked on some research projects as part of my degree and had some experience of volunteering, but no commercial archaeological experience. Without experience it’s normally very hard to get into commercial archaeology, as some of my fellow graduates can attest to. I was lucky enough to apply to Allen Archaeology at just the right time and was offered a start as a trainee in November.

Working at Lincoln University

I started out in the office washing and marking finds. These are important skills but they can get a bit repetitive so I jumped at the opportunity to go out on site for the first time – to Whisby quarry. It was certainly a bit of a culture shock compared to the academic digs I’d been on before! Work was fast paced, colder, muddier and harder work. However, the site was fairly straightforward and with some help from my supervisor Damian Podlinski I got through it all right.

From there it was time to move into Lincoln, where the company was digging in preparation for construction to start on a new building for the university. The site was next to the river and fairly deep, which meant it was under water most of the time. So again, wet, muddy, cold. We had a great team though and halfway through the site we’d figured out a system that made light work of it.

“Work is fast paced” this site in Yorkshire demonstrated how quickly I could work given training

Perhaps one of the most informative parts of my traineeship was the last week; I was taught GIS in the office by the GIS guru Chris Casswell. Although I knew about the program, I’d never used it before and after some initial hiccups everything went smoothly. As an added bonus using GIS didn’t involve getting either wet, mud or cold in January!

At the end of the traineeship I went to broaden my range of experience by working for another archaeological company in London for 5 weeks before returning to AAL in March. Since then I’ve worked on a number of different sites and types of job; I’ve done watching briefs both alone and supervised, I’ve excavated Roman settlements and most recently I worked on a medieval building near Lincoln Cathedral. No doubt there will be more interesting sites to come – and some cold, wet and muddy ones but the trainee scheme has allowed me to get my foot in the door working in commercial archaeology.

Training in smaller companies – how and why we do it

Formal training is perhaps seen as the preserve of the larger, more established archaeological unit able to put considerable resources into training schemes and have staff specifically dedicated to implementing them. However, working for a smaller company can provide better opportunities for consistent mentoring and for a diverse training experience.

On Wednesday 20th April, AAL contributed to a session organised by the Diggers Forum at the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) annual conference, entitled ‘The skills gap: training for competence in archaeology’.

AAL has undergone pretty rapid growth. In January 2014 there were 14 staff and by the end of last year we had 45 staff, including three trainees. Training plans are put in place for staff to progress and to change direction, for example into geophysics or archives, but this post focuses on our ‘entrance level’ training plan.

So why is training important? Well, with increasing workload and larger jobs we needed more people; not only did we need to increase capacity but also flexibility. Training gives us the chance to grow skills in-house which are tailored to company methods and needs. Like many archaeological companies out there we had recruitment problems – especially for fixed term roles. The problem wasn’t numbers of applicants but that very few had the experience we were after. Partly it was about need, and partly about gaining the confidence to do it. We’re involved in community archaeology projects, site open days, National Trust training days and short-term university teaching, so surely we ought to have the skills in-house to train other archaeologists? Most of all, training the next generation is, as one of our recent trainees put it, a good thing to do!

“A lot of companies want minimum experience that might be hard to get even with volunteer work and the like, so obviously a scheme that trains less experienced archaeologists is a good thing.”

It was important to us that we weren’t playing lip service to training as a way of paying people less, so we decided to keep the training plan short and sweet – 3 months should be enough to get a good grounding in commercial archaeology and to get people with some pre-exiting skills and experience to PCIfA level (Practitioner – the first level of competence defined by CIfA).

The training programme is aimed at people who have genuine interest and aptitude but no commercial experience, though we have found that applicants sometimes do have this, just not the amount most commercial jobs require, so they couldn’t get started on the job ladder. We wanted a way to get people on to that ladder and to keep them moving up through the company, gaining experience and moving to permanent roles over time.

Josh training the team in flint identification

The company ethos is very much that everyone should learn the basics of everything and that knowledge and skills are shared. We’re not heavily departmentalised so staff get to carry out GPS and TST survey, use GIS to produce illustrations for reports, assist with geophysical survey, take their own site photographs and so on – it is possible that this might go as we grow further, but we will try and hold on to this as much as is possible.

Trainees get a formal plan with tasks to sign off and each task has an appointed person to do the sign off. Over three months. The standard plan involves 20 days of fieldwork, 10 days in the finds and archives, eight days post-excavation work and five days survey training, plus time for an induction, basic introduction to standards, H&S and so on. The tasks are tied to National Occupational Standards.

It is not without its problems. The level of training dependant on and workload – one of our recent trainees didn’t dig on a ‘normal’ site for three months as we were working on the sampling of a the top of a paleosol for Mesolithic flints, and this meant that she hadn’t experienced stratigraphic recording. It’s vital to keep balance on site so there are enough experienced staff to support the trainees, and because we’re relatively small, the training experience is also dependent on the availability of particular staff. Good training also relies on good feedback from site supervisors – building on feedback from previous trainees, new posts will include a formal monthly meeting with an appointed mentor…but fieldwork programmes can make implementation of this tricky. Importantly all those involved need to understand the purpose of a training plan. It mustn’t become a race to complete sign off of tasks but be paced to enable time and a genuine understanding to develop.

Trainees work in the field for around 20 days in three months

Giving staff the chance to build on and share their experiences is vital (even if it is potentially a little scary for the management team) and our AAL Xmas lectures, where staff give presentations on aspects of their work throughout the year, are just one way in which we do this.

“You only need to look within the company to see that it’s working with a number of former trainees now in other roles.”

So is it working? Well, since January 2014 AAL have taken on 10 trainees (that isn’t including people like Feenagh who had started before this but were/are still progressing on training plans). Two of those trainees started with the company as short-term volunteers. Six were offered contracts as Project Archaeologist (PA) at the end of their training plans: two have now specialised in non-field areas within the company (archives and DBA), two are currently field PAs, and one left for a non-field promotion outside the company and one has taken a break from archaeology. One trainee could not be given a PA contract due to a downturn in work. Only one traineeship didn’t work out.

“There was a balanced mix of office-based and site-based work that allowed me to develop excavation skills on small-large scale excavations, whilst learning how to make the transition from site material to post-excavation reporting smoother for all involved. All in all, my experience was really quite rounded. I enjoyed it immensely and it gave me the skills to feel confident to work at any site, or in the office”

“I’m very grateful the trainee scheme exists as it allowed me to get into commercial archaeology when it might have otherwise been difficult”

“It gave me a proper view of what commercial archaeology really was and I didn’t feel like my lack of experience prevented me from going on any site or prevented any opportunities … The staff at Allen are all very friendly and helpful which made asking questions, help and generally becoming a part of the team so much easier.”

“I found my trainee programme very beneficial as I previously had no experience digging – either commercial or academic, so was a great opportunity to get into archaeology and be paid for it.”

The numbers we can take on are small – we’re not going to solve the skills shortage single handedly – and I’m not trying to claim we’re perfect, but with a little thought, it is possible for even small companies to create effective, useful and robust training programmes that benefit the trainee and the company in equal measure. The interest we have seen as a relatively new and less well-known company, with applications from across the UK and Europe, is pretty staggering and suggests that we need to find a much better way of serving the next generation.

We’re looking forward to welcoming our latest batch of trainees at the start of May and to building on and improving our training going forwards.

Training at Allen Archaeology Limited

According to a helpful little counter that shows up on my employment record I have been working for Allen Archaeology for 2 years 6 month and 23 days. Nothing particularly ground breaking, but in that period of time I been fortunate enough to work on some incredibly interesting and exciting sites but I’ve also progressed from a Trainee Project Archaeologist to Project Supervisor level and in the process received a staggering amount of training and learned what it means to be a commercial archaeologist along the way.

Taking part in a field school at Nevern Castle while at uni

I have always loved history, but it wasn’t until I started looking at University courses that I realised that when I grew up (!) I actually wanted to be an archaeologist! So in 2010 I went to study Anthropology and Archaeology at Durham University, partly because it was something that I thought would be interesting and partly because they let me live in the castle. It was pretty good in that it gave a very comprehensive overview of archaeology, but like most archaeology degrees lacked in practical aspects; in fact there were no compulsory archaeological fieldwork modules as part of the course. Nonetheless, I left Durham with 8 weeks of field experience, and the overwhelming impression that commercial archaeology may not be something I really wanted to look into; it was a bit too cynical and our yearly “careers” talk made it seem like the commercial world was not an exciting one to work in. So when my degree ended I made the decision to take a year off, earn some money, and then go back and do a masters.

This plan however spectacularly failed. I moved back to Lincolnshire and got a call from AAL (a year after I had applied to be a volunteer with them!) asking if I was available to work and offering to employ me. I started in September 2013 as one of their trainee site assistants, with very little experience of what commercial archaeology was or what was expected of me.

I did have a trowel though; so it was a start.

Where I cut my teeth was at AAL’s colossal North Killingholme project (NKAM) and training was given on the job. I was told what I was expected to do and then left to get on with it; sort of like being thrown in at the deep end and “shadowing” the other project archaeologists when I needed guidance. There was no formal training plan but I think it was a pretty effective way of learning the basics, and there was always someone nearby to help when I got lost.

It was fairly simple archaeology to begin with, putting metre sections through Roman ditches, and the thing I remember most is continuously being squeaked at and asked by the PO on site “Are you happy with those edges?”. It turned into a bit of a game with all the other PA’s on site, lightly mocking this phrase, but it taught me how to excavate quickly and accurately and helped me progress into being a real Project Archaeologist. Learning how to record took me a little longer however, it was a whole new experience being shown how to draw to scale and how to trust my interpretations of features, but I got there eventually and was able to move onto digging larger and more exciting features, like ditch intersections, Roman Kilns, and ring ditches.

Excavating a skeleton in October 2014

That’s one of the things I enjoy about working here, that there is a lot of effort devoted to trying to training staff and to give everyone a rounded knowledge base; everyone learns how to work the survey equipment and is expected to be able to excavate and record a feature from start to finish, and everyone gets some experience in post-ex be it finds processing, writing context summaries, or producing figures. It’s something that I massively benefited from.

The next year was a massive learning curve and I received a lot of training beyond the practical skills I was still learning in the field. I got to handle a lot of the material remains that were coming from sites through washing and processing the finds and I started learning the basics of post-excavation work and about working with GIS programs by digitizing drawings and phasing sites. I spent a lot of time staring in frustration at muddy scans while digitizing plans and sections and at the array of pastel colours used to phase the NKAM sites, . It wasn’t always the most exciting things, but it defiantly helped me become a more rounded archaeologist, and made me realise the importance of properly recording and checking the work we do on site!

DIgging the ring ditch at North Killingholme

At the end of June 2015 positions became available within the company for Project Supervisors and, with the support of my line manager, I applied and was given the job as a trainee supervisor. Unlike my last traineeship, this position had a much more structured training plan and I was given tasks which needed to be signed off by various managers and project officers in order to check my progress. It was a little messy at first as there was still a massive hands on approach, and it took some time to actually be able to put the training plan in place for various reasons, but I started off in a safe place, back at Killingholme guiding our new trainees, before being sent off on some of my own jobs. Like before I started off small; with small scale watching briefs and evaluation sites which over the next few months gradually progressed into slightly larger jobs, with a few other team members to supervise. It took some adjusting to (and a lot of site visits and phone calls asking questions before I got my bearings!), but it was exciting and I got to work on some interesting sites and developed a particular interest in community based archaeology. I had enjoyed working on some of the previous outreach projects such as the open days at North Killingholme and at the Canwick Bomber Command Memorial site in 2014, so when I was given the opportunity to work on a few community projects run with the National Trust I jumped at the chance!

Talking to volunteers on a community dig at Hinton Ampner

What changed most with this new role, however, was the responsibilities beyond the fieldwork and learning how to manage a site, and I got the chance to develop more post excavation skills. I learned how to structure reports and produce figures and I spent a lot of time in the office repeating this process until it was second nature. Again it’s not always the most exciting thing, and some days it’s incredibly frustrating and I wish I was outside happily digging ditches, but it is worth it. There is a special sort of pleasure you can take in making a figure look pretty, or getting your teeth stuck into a particularly interesting site you are writing up!

I suppose what I take from all this reminiscing about the considerable range of traineeships and professional development I have experienced within Allen Archaeology over the past two and a half years, is that I’m incredibly proud of my achievements here and, despite a number of stumbles along the way, I am very grateful for the continuous support and guidance I have received at all stages, from everyone within the company. It’s made me the archaeologist I am today and I love my job, especially the community projects and the opportunities to be involved in new team members training, and I hope I give them even a little but as much encouragement and support as I received when I first started.

But I’m still learning.

And I may have realised that now I’m not always joking when I ask people on a site I am supervising if they’re happy with their edges….

Digital Techniques: Structure from Motion (SfM) Photogrammetry

Warning: Images of human remains feature in this post

If you’re involved in the heritage sector then chances are you’ve seen a three dimensional (3D) model of an archaeological site, feature or artefact that you can view and interact with on a computer screen or mobile device. It’s likely this was created using SfM, which operates under the basic principle that 3D structure can be resolved using overlapping images. Photogrammetry is the science of making measurements from photographs. Therefore, SfM photogrammetry is the use of photographs to accurately record 3D models from which measurements and details can be recorded. I could go into more detail regarding the technique itself works but for now lets just assume it’s tantamount to magic!

Capturing a collard urn

We’ve been exploring the possible uses here at AAL for a couple of years now after initially learning about its potential from the master of archaeological photography, Adam Stanford (http://www.aerial-cam.co.uk/). Initially we trialled the technique out in the field for the recording of skeletons and masonry because these are two often poorly recorded feature-types; that and our office at the time was somewhat unsuitable for artefact recording (to put it mildly) and my spare bedroom/dark room at home was full of kittens. What we found was that, if recorded properly on site, the technique allowed for a more accurate record of the feature from which a traditional illustration could be made and disseminated to specialists to aid in their assessment/analysis.

Example of a record using SfM on site

It also allowed us to revisit these features from the comfort of the office (the new one, not the old one) and examine them in closer detail than we had time for on site.

Masonry recording

By the time my fieldwork marathon was complete we had a new head office in Lincoln with plenty of space for us to experiment with SfM on artefacts. Trial and error was key here, and there were many failed attempts before finally working out a methodology fit for the task (credit must go to Hugh Fiske for providing the inspiration needed to complete this and I’m sure you’ll agree he’s made some beautiful models, http://www.archaeo3d.me.uk/)

Part of the company ethos here focusses on training for all, and as soon as we were happy with the workflow we began training others in this recoding technique. Currently we’re building up a portfolio of models so that in the near-future we can showcase them online for everyone to access, so watch this space.

Chris training Andrea and Charlotte in Structure from Motion

Best site hut biscuit with Jedlee

Jedlee Chapman Welcome to the first post in a series where we meet some of the AAL staff and ask the important question of which biscuit is best!

What is your job role?
Project Archaeologist – I dig and record archaeology to the best standard possible

How long have you worked for Allen Archaeology?
Nearly 3 years

How would describe your excavation technique?
God like – controlled to get a good understanding of the archaeology I’m excavating and not to injure myself

How long have you been working in archaeology?
Almost 14 years

How did you get into archaeology?
My uncle was kind enough to get me on a job he was working at the time when I was 15 (16, I mean 16!) and I’ve been doing it ever since

What is the best thing about your job?
Archaeology is just like other jobs most days; but then you have those days out in the field where you come across something special, like an upper Palaeolithic blade. Those days make the wait till pay day or home time seem inconsequential!

Specialist skills?
I don’t really have a specialist skill; I’m more of an all-rounder, I know a bit of this and a bit of that!

Best site hut biscuit?
The hobnob (or the last biscuit in the pack!)

International Women’s Day

In the most recent profiling (2013) of those working in archaeology it was found that 46% of staff were female. The number of women in archaeology has been steadily increasing and in some areas women outnumber men considerably. Of the private limited companies the ratio is quite different with only 29% of the employees being women and in field archaeology the split is closer to 40% women (see the report here). The breakdown of those jobs shows that (of the sample) 72% of Directors were male, Project Officers were of an equally male/ female, supervisors were mostly men (87%) and 84% of the project managers were male. In comparison [today] Allen Archaeology employs 16 (of 34) female staff. 50% of our supervisors and Project Archaeologists are female, 1/3 of our Project Officers and 1/4 of our management team are female.

To celebrate the women working at AAL we have asked them why they became archaeologists and what do they love about their jobs!

Fee on site at Nevern Castle in 2013

Fee
I got into commercial archaeology almost accidentally. I’ve always loved history and it became pretty obvious during various work experiences that I wasn’t the type of person to do well in an office environment; so when it came to choosing what to do after school I figured archaeology was as good an idea as any (although I admit that I had absolutely no idea how to become a real trowel welding archaeologist…). I went to study Anthropology and Archaeology at Durham, largely because they let me live in the castle, and although I enjoyed the lectures it wasn’t until my second year that I caught the digging bug. By some happy accident I ended up spending three weeks excavating at Nevern Castle in Pembrokeshire and I fell in love. It was hard work but it was almost definatly the highlight of my university experience and I wouldn’t be in this career now if it hadn’t been for that site. I still go back every year to dig there, and I still love every minute of it. After I got back I applied to be a volunteer with a company not far from my home town, but I didn’t hear back from them until over a year later when I got a phone call offering me a job. I started with AAL in September 2013 as a trainee site assistant and almost 2 and a half years later I’m still here, happily standing in the middle of a field, a little bit cold and covered in mud, watching a machine open up some trenches and hoping we find something exciting, I love every minute of it.

Rachel planning at a training dig in Derbyshire in 2010

Rachel
When I tell people I’m an archaeologist, more often than not, the announcement is met with surprise. Before I worked in commercial archaeology I had thought there were more Lara Croft’s than Indiana Jones’, and commercial archaeology in general there often appears to be more woman than men on site. But any site benefits from having us all there as we all bring different skills to the job and usually it’s nothing to do with gender stereotypes! I enjoy archaeology because it’s a varied job, and a practical way of learning about the past; though I enjoyed being a student, I definitely love digging more! And as a woman in archaeology I have found I am often the muddiest person on site- not very ladylike!

Cat working in the archives at AAL

Catriona
I have been interested in the past since I was little and gifted with my first horrible histories book- Vicious Vikings. From that day on, I was hooked on history, it was only when I reached university that I considered archaeology as a way to see and physically handle what the documents would tell you about the past. I gained a traineeship as an archaeologist after leaving university and haven’t looked back since. I love the variety, one day I am looking at rarely found type of Roman knife, the next a Victorian craniotomy or even the bog standard Roman ceramic tile.

Maria working in Rutland for AAL in 2011

Maria
Like many others, I grew up watching films and TV programmes such as Indiana Jones and Time Team which made history and archaeology seem fun and exciting. History was always one of my favourite subjects. Apart from playing treasure hunting games as a little girl, my career choice as a 19 year old was that of Informatics and IS/IT management. It was really only because I had an extra 10 weeks to fill for my MA Scs. at Gothenburg University that I decided to study a bit of archaeology purely for fun. Little did I know I would stay on to get a second degree. I really loved it! Although I knew a job in archaeology wouldn’t be as lucrative as one in IT, the thought of working within a field that continuously spurred an interest and perhaps get to combine this with travelling, seemed so much more appealing to me.
I landed my first job in Ireland 2006 and joined AAL in 2007 and as they say, the rest is History! I would be lying if I didn’t say the initial spark and excitement for the job didn’t get slightly jaded after a few years in the mud 🙂 but the core interest and fascination of learning something new about past times never really fades.

An early love of mud encouraged Beki to pursue a career in field archaeology

Beki
Initially I went to University to study history with archaeology, all bright eyes and bushy tailed with the intention of becoming a history teacher with one of those ‘stable’ jobs. A couple of archaeology lectures later and I was hooked. So here I am, 4 university years and over 3 commercial archaeology years later… still doing it. The reason that I particularly love archaeology is because in that moment, the one where you digging something or pulling an object out of the ground, you are the only person in the world seeing it for hundreds or thousands of years. An incredibly poignant sentiment. It’s also a chance to be outdoors every day, be surrounded by people with just any many quirks and similar interests as you and a chance to do something with a little more meaning.

Natasha excavating at Walton-le-Dale with Lancaster University Archaeology Unit as a fresh faced graduate

Natasha
I don’t remember ever really wanting to be anything other than an archaeologist…Blame children’s telly (particularly a programme about Skara Brae) and lots of early visits to museums. My Dad has a friend who worked with the Leakey’s so I was introduced to the idea that looking at old stuff could be an actual job pretty early on (though hominids are way too old for me!). I remember being taken to see the excavation of Waltham Abbey and being particularly impressed that there was a grave which was being left untouched because the occupant had died from smallpox. Mostly archaeology suited the fact that I am interested in both the arts and sciences. I did a mix of both for my ‘A’ levels and went to Bradford to study Archaeological Sciences. By the time I graduated, I knew that I wanted to specialise in human remains, but I also knew that I wanted to get some commercial excavation experience. I do enjoy a good matrix. I worked throughout the UK and Ireland and then went back to University to do a Masters in human osteology, paleopathology and funerary archaeology – the course too long for application forms. After that I worked in a mixture of field archaeology and osteology until I settled in London as an osteologist, trained as a manager and later moved to AAL. I’ve been (and am) involved in a huge number of really interesting projects and have worked with and for some really inspirational people. These days I don’t get outside much but I am very lucky to be able to flex my trowelling muscles at the Ness of Brodgar each summer – and finally get to Skara Brae!

Dominika handling a spade during her early days as an archaeologist

Dominika
When I was 7 years old my mother let me pick a book from the Readers Digest catalogue: I chose one about ancient Egypt, because I like the picture of Tutankhamun’s mask on the front. This was the start! I kept reading any history and archaeology books that I could find in the school library. I chose to go to Aberdeen University and study archaeology, then went on to Birmingham to do a masters in Egyptology. I returned to Scotland after completing my degrees and starting volunteering in the local museum in Perth and at Kinross Heritage Trust until I got my job at AAL and moved to Lincoln!

Emily processing samples with a celt at Silchester field school

Emily
Since a child I have always loved archaeology. Visiting castles, museums and places of national heritage has always been a fond pass time of mine. During Sixth Form I developed a keen interest in Classical Archaeology, through studying A- Level Classical Civilisations. I followed my interest into University where I received my degree in Archaeology and Classical studies. At University I had the opportunity to excavate and work at Silchester, the Roman town of Calleva Atrabatum. My time spent there heightened by love of Archaeology and made me pursue it as a career. Since joining commercial archaeology in 2014 I have thoroughly enjoyed working on a variety of different sites spanning across many time periods. Excavating and handling snippets of the pass on a day to day basis is fascinating and quite exciting as you never really know what you will discover next.

Cat on her first dig at Lake Mareotis in Egypt in 2008

Catriona
I started working in archaeology having completed an undergraduate, masters and PhD at the University of Southampton. I had been interested in archaeology before this, but it was not until I was making decisions about what to study I had really considered it an option (and if I’m being honest I chose it because I wanted to study something that would allow me to travel….). Spending 8 years studying archaeology at university I realised that I couldn’t envision working in another sector. For me it’s the variety the job brings: picking apart different buildings, looking for clues in the landscape or experimenting with new techniques to get more about of what we find that has kept me interested.

Nikki digging this December for AAL

Nikki
When I told my classics teacher I was going to study archaeology he stared at me right in the eyes and said “are you sure?” I can’t honestly say I was but I found myself in a hole (pun intended) and I haven’t been able to climb out since. I have always enjoyed history and the outdoors archaeology was the perfect answer and still is. The variety of people and places always keeps the job fresh and the communal atmosphere is one that I love. I dig it.

Alice on a Sheffield University training dig at West Halton

Alice
Today I was asked why am I an archaeologist? I have been in archaeology in one way or another for a long time so instead I asked myself why am I still an archaeologist? For me it is a chance to explore and discover in an ever changing environment. It allows me to constantly learn and develop as a person whilst spending time with a wide range of exciting personalities. However, I feel the most important thing is I’m doing something I love every day of the week and having fun whilst doing it!

Charlotte’s first day on her first ever training dig in 2011 with The Ardnamurchan Transitions Project

Charlotte
I originally applied for a place at university to study midwifery. I was good at sciences in school and decided that it would be a sensible degree, the NHS would pay for my fees and it had good job opportunities for the future. Two weeks before I was due to get my A-level results I realised that I didn’t want to spend my future working towards achieving something that was sensible. I wanted to spend future doing something that was an adventure, something that I was passionate about. I chose archaeology. I had always loved history and every weekend when I was a child I would ask my Dad to take me on a trip to our local museum so I could spend hours peering into cabinets at all the cool things people had used in the past, I found it fascinating! So in 2010 I applied to study Archaeology at the University of Manchester and I haven’t looked back since. The thing I love the most about being an archaeologist is that archaeology is something that is continuously interpretive and those interpretations are always changing from the beginning to end of the archaeological process, so no matter what part of the process you are involved in, no day is ever the same and I love it!

Cova at work in the archives

Cova
I first wanted to be a princess, and then an archaeologist. So my interest in history and archaeology started when I was very young. I always felt fascinated about the past and I was lucky enough that my father encouraged me to extend my interests further. When I went to university, I studied History and it was then that I had the opportunity to take part in archaeological projects, both on site and in the laboratory. After leaving Spain, I took other jobs relating to Art and auctions, but I couldn’t get Archaeology out of my mind, so I decided to go for it and applied for a job as an Archives supervisor in commercial archaeology. I don’t regret it at all, it is a busy job but very fulfilling.