Expert: Ralph Salier - 3/6/2008

Question
My question is two parts. I have always had a great interest in archaeology but have recently been reading alot more about it. My fiancee and I are planning a trip to her native country Guatemala, are there any restrictions on foreigners "digging" in other countries? and two, is it possible to be an archaeologist as a hobby? I am not looking to make a career but would love to assist in working a site but I would need to know where to be trained properly, only at a volunteer level. I hope this question makes sense.
Thanks in advance

Answer
Hi Ronnie,

Generally speaking if you are a volunteer on a legitimate archaeological site being run by a university, then yes, you can do some work but it will be heavily supervised and you may not get to do too much.  They may have you sifting, moving dirt etc... (Slave labor is what we call it).  But it is part of the process and sometimes can result in good finds too.

There are a lot of field schools around the world but I am not aware of any in Guatamala at the present time but I am sure that there will be some starting in May.  Best way to find them is to go to www.google.com and put in Archaeological Field Schools Guatemala.  You may have to pay for the privelage to do the work so please be prepared for this.

There are many people who are avocational (Hobby) archaeologists and most states have a state wide club with local chapters that serve the interests of these hobbists.  Many have professional supervision and it is a great way to learn and understand what you are doing.

The single most important thing for you to know is that an archaeologist is like a book burner!  Think of the layers of soil holding the artifacts as the pages of a book and as the excavation takes place these pages are torn out and thrown away.  The most important thing for any archaeologist to learn is that it is critically important to take careful and complete notes, drawings and photos of  the finds so that the pages of the book can be reconstructed and translated for a clear interpretation of what was found.  As part of this process, you must be patient, careful and listen to the instructions from the supervisors.

Have fun and good luck.