Tag Archives: site hut biscuit

Best site hut biscuit with Tae

Recording onsite at Market Harborough

What is your job role?
Trainee Project Archaeologist

How long have you worked for Allen Archaeology?
On and off over the last six months. I started my formal traineeship in June 2016.

How would describe your excavation technique?
Detailed and meticulous

How long have you been working in archaeology?
About six months

How did you get into archaeology?
Chris Casswell is a family friend (and told me the biscuits were good). I then applied for a traineeship.

What is the best thing about your job?
Solving ancient puzzles.

Specialist skills?
I make a pretty good cuppa.

Best site hut biscuit?
The gingernut

Best site hut biscuit with Chris (Casswell)

What is your job role?
Senior Project Officer.

Chris on site at NKAM

How long have you worked for Allen Archaeology?
Almost 3 years now, but it feels like yesterday.

How would describe your excavation technique?
Rusty.

How long have you been working in archaeology?
My first paid job was a bit over 10 years ago. I spent a few years up in Yorkshire before finding my way back to the flatlands in the east.

How did you get into archaeology?
I like mud. I remember spending most of my holidays as a child were spent running around outdoors and exploring castles, so I always wanted something more than just a 9 to 5 office job (notice the not-so-subtle hint to my bosses to let me go and play in the mud again). Farming didn’t quite provide the excitement that I craved so I honed my skills studying dead people’s rubbish at university in the hope of getting a real job – as an archaeologist.

What is the best thing about your job?
Stratigraphy! Spending weeks in the site hut scribbling notes on anything to hand to create a masterpiece telling the story of the whole site must be one of my favourite jobs. Later on finding out in post-ex. that the finds dating fits perfectly within it is also incredibly satisfying.

Both at work and during hobby-time (extended work hours) I love playing around with new tech: photography, GIS, 3D modelling, I think it’s all great. I’m not entirely sure the bosses really understand what it is I do (and neither do I half the time), but so long as I create something that looks pretty and moves us one step further into the 21st century no one seems to mind.

Specialist skills?
Cat whisperer. I also make a pretty good pancake.

Best site hut biscuit?
Custard creams, the biscuit of champions. Closely followed by chocolate hob nobs.

Best site hut biscuit with Mia

What is your job role?
Project Officer

Loving life in 2008

How long have you worked for Allen Archaeology?
For nine years in September

How would describe your excavation technique?
Once upon a time I suppose it could have been described as fast and furious, but with a bun in the oven the spade has been put on a shelf for a while

How long have you been working in archaeology?
About ten years

How did you get into archaeology?
It has always interested me, but I never considered it an occupation until I somehow found myself with a degree in it and thought, why not? I started off in Ireland and a year later ended up at Allen Archaeology.

What is the best thing about your job?
Probably that I’m still learning new things with every job. In the beginning, everything was new and the learning curve steep and interesting. When I started it was a really small company with less than a handful of people and so I got to try everything almost in one go. As the years have gone by, different staff and people with different skills, have helped me deepen and broaden my own.

Specialist skills?
I don’t know about special, but I’ve done a few building surveys throughout the years. I believe I wrote a few clay tobacco pipe reports as well, but that only lasted for a short and sweet time; they’ve got someone much more skillful to do this these days.

Best site hut biscuit?
Well, any biscuit or cookie with a gooey nougat centre rates high on my list, although their lifespan tend to be quite short in my presence.

Best site hut biscuit with Catriona

Cat working in the archives at AAL

What is your job role?
Project Archaeology (Archives)

How long have you worked for Allen Archaeology?
1 year and 7 months

How would describe your excavation technique?
Pick and Mix

How long have you been working in archaeology?
1 year and 7 months

How did you get into archaeology?
Came for a week’s volunteering at Allen, became a trainee and have never looked back.

What is the best thing about your job?
Seeing all the nice shiny finds come back from the conservator.

Excavating a skeleton in October 2014

Specialist skills?
Organising baking competitions at North Killingholme- we’ve had mince pies, biscuits and tarts!

Best site hut biscuit?
I like to jazz it up with a pink wafer 

Best site hut biscuit with Pickle

Site visit selfie #safteyfirst

What is your job role?
Office dog

How long have you worked for Allen Archaeology?
Nearly 6 months

How would describe your excavation technique?
Fast! But possibly in need of direction

How long have you been working in archaeology?
Nearly 6 months

How did you get into archaeology?
One member of my household staff had to go away for a week so the other had to bring me to the office. Everyone was so nice I couldn’t possibly consider doing anything else.

What is the best thing about your job?
Engaging with people, when I’m in the office everyone wants to talk to me and see what i’m “working” on!

Working hard in the office

Specialist skills?
Claiming sites – if you want that piece of masonry or mud marked, I’m your dog!

Best site hut biscuit?
Any within nose height!

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!)