Is archaeology boring? I was reading an article and came across a comment that archaeology is very boring. I want to become an archaeologist. And is it all about travelling and stuff? Celsa Fernandes (18)

Hi Celsa,

Archaeology definitely isn’t boring! One of the great things about archaeology is that you never know exactly what you’re going to find when you’re digging. Sometimes it takes a bit of time before you discover anything but that’s a great opportunity to practice your excavation skills and get to know your fellow diggers a bit better.

There are also so many different things you can do in archaeology, if digging isn’t for you then perhaps you’ll enjoy something like geophysics, finds processing or conservation, buildings surveying or working in a museum to help present and display what has been discovered. The best thing to do is give it a try and see which bit of archaeology is the most interesting and exciting for you.

If you enjoy travelling there are certainly lots of opportunities in archaeology. All the digging I have done has been in Britain but I have friends who have worked in all sorts of exciting places like Egypt, Qatar, Tanzania and Iceland.

Thanks for your question,

Claire

Answered by:

Dr Claire Corkill

Claire is the Development Manager at the Council for British Archaeology. She grew up on the Isle of Man surrounded by loads of exciting archaeology and studied archaeology at the University of York where she did her PhD in First World War archaeology. Claire has excavated on lots of different sites around the British Isles and was once lucky enough to excavate the site of a coin hoard which led to the discovery of a medieval chapel. When she’s not working Claire loves to explore archaeological sites around Scotland where she now lives. 

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