Expert: Ralph Salier - 3/3/2010

Question
QUESTION: hai. i m frm india i wnt tk archaelogy as my career.i m doing B.A sanskrit and i m goin to finish it this may 2010. what s the basic qualifications to become a archaelogist? am i eligible?pls guide me.

ANSWER: Hi Sandhya,

I do not know what the requirements are in India.  However, since you are in university now, the Anthropology department of your university should be able to give you guidance.  I would anticipate that you would need to get a second BA in Anthropology/Archaeology and then go on for a MA in Archaeology.  I see no reason why you would not be eligible to get the degree in archaeology.

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QUESTION: thanks.here in india they dont conduct B.A in archaelogy/anthropology courses.  only some universities conduct post graduate courses like M.A archaelogy and museology/anthropology. what is your words for me? what about my sanskrit degree?

ANSWER: Hi Sandhya,

A degree in Sanskrit is a good starting point for doing archaeology in India.  It will allow you to read old texts and gain a better understanding of the historical aspects of the broader culture.  Since they do not offer a BA in Archaeology, this leads to getting an MA in Archaeology, Anthropology and Museology.  Unless of course you want to study abroad.  In that case, as a commonwealth citizen, you could go to the UK to study archaeology there.  Many of the universities in the UK have Archaeology programs, the most famous of which are of course Oxford and Cambridge.  

Since Sanskrit is one of the founding languages of the world, perhaps finding the "genetic" linkages between the linguistic mutations and the evolution of societies would be of interest to you.  

Yes, studying languages is like studying genetics.  OVer time, the language changes and adapts.  This can occur due to changes in climate, location food resources etc... When this happens, new words appear, old words disappear,  how words are used changes.  Over time, you get a new language.  An example of this is Latin used by the Romans.  Over time, Latin has evolved into Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Romanian and so on.  As these languages moved away from their native lands into the Americas and else where, they continued to evolve.  Today, you have Brazilian Portugese, Mexican Spanish, Colombian Spanish, American Spanish, Philippine Spanish etc...   In  the same way the formative "Indo-European" root language (Sanskrit) has been evolving and key events in its changes still need to be uncovered.  This can only be done archaeologically.  Finding those first written bits of the language.  

Sound like it could be an interesting and very long journey.

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QUESTION: ya. i wnt t know wht do u think about INDIA and INDIAN EPICS??
INDIAN ARCHAELOGY?

Answer
Hi Sandhya,

I have read some of the epics such as the Rig Veda and some of he Krishna stories.  These are very interesting and may hold the key to understanding the real events that took place that are the root of these stories.  I believe that the Archaeology of India is potentially very rich but only the "surface has been scratched".  Given the wide spread poverty and other needs of the nation, archaeology has long taken a minimalist position.  However, as India emerges as a growing more prosperous nation, the nations archaeological history will become more important.  India is the cross roads from Asia to the East and Europe to the West.  There have been many struggles between the two and India has been in the middle.  

Ancient peoples have crossed India as man expanded out of Africa and into the rest of the world.  We should be able to find Neanderthal, Homo Eructs and other ancestral hominids in India.  I believe it is an exciting time in India for archaeology.