Here are a few photos that show some of the methods we employ as archaeologists in the field. These are tried & true methods for digging in the sand, I’m sure they work similarly in other soils as well.
Method 1: The Stork
Sometimes there just isn’t enough room for you and your legs so one must bend at the waist and trowel from on high. Most people believe the sign of a good archaeologist is head down, butt in the air—this method proves that to be true.
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| Sue bent over excavating on the boarder of Units EE & LL. |
Method 2: The Pedestal
While working in the heat, one gets tired and needs to sit. We are technically never supposed to dig down (towards China, or in our case Guatemala) but instead steadily across our units, this is hard to do while sitting. The best method is to pedestal yourself (onto a platform of sorts), excavate as far as you can reach in all directions, then move your tush to the newly excavated area and take down the pedestal. One can remain sitting for at least an hour or two.
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| Brett working from a "center point" outwards in Unit KK. |
Method 3: The Reverse Pedestal
Sometimes, while employing the Stork you end up with a small space in which to sit. This is an excellent time to try the Reverse Pedestal. In this method you place yourself in the newly excavated lower elevation (aka hole) and work the surrounding area down to your current level (aka hole.)
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| Sue working from a "lower area" of Unit LL. |
Method 4: The High Angle
When buildings fall down the remaining walls & debris sometimes leave severe slopes. These must be excavated like any other area: slowly and across (not down to Guatemala.) To complete this process you must start high, hang on for dear life, try not to slide down, and excavate carefully. Eventually the slope becomes manageable but usually not for hours (after you legs have turned to jelly and so much sweat is in your eyes that you can no longer see.) One way to counteract this is with the lean. It is a version of the Stork but using your alternate leg for balance (& to lean on) you provide leverage for yourself.
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| Brian & Kristy working on the slope of Unit Y. Kristy favors the High Angle, Brian goes with a crouched Stork. |
Method 5: The Alt High Angle
After many hours on the severe slope (there seems to be a lot of slopes) one must come up with alternate ways to balance, perch, and keep digging away. One method is to use a hand for support, but then you only have one hand (which makes it hard to sweep, brush, & trowel at the same time.) Another alternative method is to give up and sit awkwardly hoping for the best. (Note: sometimes pedestaling follows this method.)
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| Zach & Brian working on yet another slope, this one is in Units CC & V (respectively.) |
Method 6: The Wait
Due to the irregular intervals of digging there is occasionally some downtime, even for the workers. The workers are kind enough to carry our buckets down to the screen (where all dirt goes so that nothing is missed) then other workers do the actual screening. They dutifully sift though every bit of dirt looking for bits of shell, bone, pottery, glass, and whatever other wonders may be seen. However, as mentioned, the buckets can come irregularly, in those times the workers have come up with a system of waiting… they prefer the shade, on a bucket, next to whatever job they are supposed to be doing.
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| Two workers sitting, waiting for buckets; one screening; one carrying a bucket. |
Method 7: The Boss
This is a personal favorite, in this particular method one stands tall and politely asks others to do whatever needs to be done. This can also be called guided instruction or even helpfulness, if so desired. (Note: occasionally forcefulness & pointing are required—it’s also more fun—to get the relevant information across clearly.)
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| Kristy (politely) bossing people around from Unit KK. |
Method 8: The End
At the end of the day, after approximately six hours of hard work, paperwork must be done (or in our case digital work). Luckily, this is done mostly on the iPad and mostly sitting in an actual chair. However, sometimes while waiting one’s turn you must sit where you fit.
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| Brett filling out a Photo form on the iPad. |
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| Sue sitting in Unit EE waiting for her turn with the Photo Form. |
Bonus Information:
On occasion a particular piece of equipment can’t be found, like a tape measure, line level, & plumb bob. One can employ the “same size” technique to eyeball the approximate depth of a unit… I’m sure it is accurate.
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| Brian & Brett being used for scale. They are both about 6 feet 3 inches, the objective was to see the difference in depth between Units LL & FF. Obviously, Brett is deeper, therefore the experiment was successful and Sue needs to dig deeper in Unit LL! |
