Sorry for the fact there was no new post yesterday morning. I actually had one of my field trips - I traveled with a number of colleagues and interns to James Madison's Montpelier in Orange, Virginia (about 1 hour west of Fredericksburg). We had a wonderful house tour and then explored the grounds before heading to lunch and an afternoon in the collections. The interns had never been to the site (some of them hail from as far away as Colorado), and we discussed topics ranging from restoration practices to databases, light levels, and pest management. Riveting, for you non-museum folks, I know!I thought one of the more interesting projects they are currently working on is archaeology in an area just next to the mansion. You can see their latest findings here - a blog called "The Latest Dirt" (insert ba-dump-dump sound here).
I sometimes think I should have become an archaeologist. You get to be so hands-on with objects - bones, buttons, ceramics; do lots of research; dress casually; and make all sorts of interesting discoveries that help inform our understanding of the past (but also spend a lot of time in the hot sun just sifting through dirt)...hmmm...okay, maybe not.
Image courtesy The Montpelier Foundation
3 comments:
Since you survived 2 semesters of Astronomy I bet you could have handled the science and meticulousness that is archeology - nothing like India Jones I'm sure.
I also sometimes feel like I missed a calling as an archaeologist. I loved visiting the Maya and Inca ruins in Mexico and Peru. Fascinating stuff!
Speaking as one of those archaeologists, yes that sun can be quite... draining. As you say, though, it's a fascinating field. (Amusingly I started out my college career in Astronomy!)
Anyway, just thought that I would drop by when I saw the incoming link to the Latest Dirt and say 'hi.' I'm glad that you enjoyed the archaeology!
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