Anyone studying archaeology want to give me information?

Question

Basic information, on studying and school, that sort of thing.

I'm interested in Near Eastern studies [Mesopotamian], if that helps.

Answer 1

Find a school in the  near East, it will be easier for you to go on digs and work with the local people. I live in Cleveland and all we do is Native American digs which is good experience but not what I am into.

Answer 2

What information are you looking for?

I am very fimilar with that reigon what information can I give you? Email me with a question or statement that I can help you with.

Answer 3

Yes, switch degrees.  I decided after having my horrible anth prof lecture me about her pro-Islamist, radical pro-matriarchal feminist, anti-Western, anti-democratic, anti-capitalist nonsense for the last time, and how archaeology is more political than her classes and anth in general, that I will choose my second (and original) choice of English Literature as a major since I can swim in philosophical, political, religious and artistic circles.  I am in a class of students who cannot quote Marx like I can but criticize capitalism.  

I can quote the Communist Manifesto along with several books of Nietzsche and the Bible.  They don't know the story of Abraham, any of Freud, Erichson and Jung.  If you are going to attack Western culture, know what you're attacking.  You can't quote the Koran if you haven't read it.  Why am I dealing with pro-Iranian Islamists who haven't read the Koran?  I have read it three times along with many books on Islam.  I have read Andrea Dworkin, Gloria Steinem, Naomi Wolf, Betty Friedan, Camille Paglia, Christina Hoff Summers, Germaine Greer, Simone de Beauvoir, Katie Roiphe, Kate Millet and others.  I can praise or criticize feminism because I know what I'm talking about.  Do they?  Don't front a cause you know nothing about.  From a former leftist.

Answer 4

what info do you want?

Archaeology = think, plan, scratch around for money, th9ink, plan, think, plan, scratch around for money,think, plan, scratch around for money, think, plan, scratch around for money, get some money,scratch aroundin the earth, find nothing of any interest.

Answer 5

Well, first off, I'm not sure exactly what information that you need.  I can tell you that when I went to school, you started out with earning a bachelor's degree in anthropology, since archaeology is a subfield of anthropology.  So, you really don't get to spend too much time working on archaeological digs or artificats.  It is also a very reading and writing intensive degree.  

If you still want to work in archaeology after working on your degree for a couple of years you will definately want to attend an archaeological field school.  This is where you get to do a lot of field work.  I would also recommend that you take every opportunity after that to work in the field and in labs.  Most fieldwork is done in the summer and lab work saved for winter months.

However, something else that you need to realize, is that a bachelors degree won't get you very far in this field.  Usually you will need a masters.  So, you should be prepared for a longer haul.

Before you get that far though, first talk to some of the professors about the work.  They can give you a better idea of what is out there.  You may find that this is more of a hobby for you because the job prospects are in some ways limited.  Then again, you may decide to persue this line of work and do what it takes to succeed in the field of archaeology.

I also want to warn you that if you want to stick to a particular location, you will have to be extremely selective about where you go to school.  And even then, the majority of your classes will not be on that culture.  But that is ok.  I find that learning about other cultures gives me a better feel for all cultures, even the ones that I focus on.

I hope this helps.

Answer 6

When you find your shortlist of schools, look up the professors and their work.  A few bad professors can ruin any student to their field.  On the other hand, a great professor convinced me to switch to anthropology from international politics.  For archeology, make sure you find a college that has at least a few field school opportunities.  If you plan to go to grad school, which is a good idea in these fields, you will need field school or fieldwork experience.  Think seriously about whether you want to spend your life searching for very illusive, puzzling artifacts so you can write academic papers to be read by colleagues and college students so the former can argue your points and the latter can call your work dry and boring.  Look over some career sites like the ones below too.

Answer 7

Don't expect a paying job without a masters'. Don't expect to make anything close to a living without a doctorate.

Answer 8

Definately find a school that offers the opportunity for you to have field studies. Start out with Archaeology 101 and see if it's what you're interested in and talk to your teacher about  what jobs you are going to be able to get with this type of degree. It's usually hot, sweaty, dirty work and it's not like Indiana Jones. You're not going to be looking for or finding the holy grail and staying in posh hotels. More than likely you'll be writing alot of reports and doing alot of traveling, and writing more reports. It's exciting because you're discovering things about the past using artifacts and  piecing it together but unless you find that fasinating you're going to get bored fast. On the other hand while you're waiting to get out and dig up sites, you'll probably be either teaching the subject in community college or grading papers at a University.