Student Blog — The ‘Ins and Outs’ of the Trent 3000Y Archaeology Field School

Kallie Junkala

Archaeology isn’t always as glamorous as it looks. Sure, finding ceramics, old bottles or even personalized rings is very exciting, but there’s much more to Archaeology than just digging. Lab work and analysis also play a very important role in the field, and it allows us to understand just when and where these artifacts came from. From chopping roots to bone cleaning, here’s a basic rundown of every component of archaeology I learned about in field school. 

The Dirty Work:
Of course, getting your hands in the dirt is a basic requirement in archaeology, and it can often be pretty tiring, but it’s not as bad as it sounds. Personally, I have always been more interested in the analysis aspect of archaeology, but I found being out in the field to be just as fulfilling. We learned about the different parts of a basic archeological dig that requires different strengths. 

For starters, we did some stage 1 work. This stage is very simple and requires a survey of the area for possible cultural heritage value. This is usually done by walking through the field with a crew to see if there’s anything of potential. We didn’t spend too much time on this stage, because it’s uncomplicated and fairly basic. 

To continue, there’s stage 2 work or testing pits. This involves digging small holes in 5m intervals to see if anything is interesting. This, in my opinion, is probably the hardest part of the job, and it requires a lot of muscle, energy and dedication. Shovelling hole after hole can often get tiring, but working with a good crew on a nice day is more than enough to keep you going. 

Next, is stage 3, which requires 1x1m holes in 5m intervals. This, to me, is a little more exciting. In this stage, you start to find a lot more artifacts, which always keeps you alert. This stage also requires you to dig straight walls and smooth floors, which I found to be a very fun but tedious task. For those who like to clean and organize, this is where the fun begins. 

Also, we did a stage 4 dig, which is a further expansion of stage 3. Here, you can dig larger, more invasive holes to reveal whatever is on the site. For us, it meant exposing old rock wall foundations and cleaning them up to map them. This is probably my favourite stage because you get to have a clean pit, find artifacts and expose different features. 

Finally, when all is said and done, you need to backfill the holes you’ve created. Whether it’s stage 2 or stage 4, you have to clean up the work you’ve done. This is probably my least favourite component of digging because you’ve got to shovel all your dirt back into the pit. This is also the most arduous task, and if you’re working in a large pit say, a stage 4, it can often become very daunting and tiresome. 

Time for the Lab:
Lab work was, as expected, my favourite thing to do in field school. It was so fun to wash, analyze and catalogue all of the different things we found, and I never got tired of it. Working in the lab was so interesting because once you cleaned up an artifact, you could find out more about it and possibly figure out what time period it came from. There are also a few different steps to lab work that we got to learn.

First, you’ve got to wash the things you found. This meant using a soft-bristled brush (we used toothbrushes) and water to clean off the years of dirt and grime build-up. With so many artifacts, it may seem like a lot of work, but I liked to listen to music while I cleaned, and it was actually a very satisfying job. 

After the artifacts dried, it was time for primary analysis. Here, we’d sort the artifacts based on material type. Special things, like glass or nails which don’t really require further analysis, can be sorted right then and there! You can sort window glass from bottle glass based on colour and shape, and nails can be sorted by cut and use. All the artifacts with the same material and use would go in a bag with a tag describing what it is, where we found it, and how many there are. This process would continue until all the items are sorted. Then, each individual bag gets put in a larger bag which holds all the artifacts from that specific context and location. 

Finally, we also learned about cataloguing and further inspection in secondary analysis. This task was filled with many questions and surprising answers. In one case, with much help from Kate, I was able to date and place a piece of ceramic from Glasgow! We used forms to write down all the available information we knew about a piece, which Kate will later use to identify our artifacts. 

All in all, I had so much fun here at Trent. I have learnt so much and made many unforgettable friendships! I discovered my love for archaeology and learned many skills which will help me to pursue it as a career. I hope to come back to Peterborough next summer for the 4000Y course and see everyone again. Let this be a lesson to always put yourself out there and try new things, even when they might seem scary because you might just have an amazing experience!