Expert: Ralph Salier - 12/1/2007

Question
i understand that cambridge,  and the university of cairo would be the best for pursuing middle eastern archaeology- what school in the state of georgia would you reccommned for my first year or 2  ( finances and the hope scholarship may cind me to ga for the start of college? which undergraduate course of study would you reccomend?

Answer
Hi Lael,

Which branch of Middle Eastern Archaeology? Ancient Egypt, Ancient Mesopotamia, Troy, Ancient India, The Jordan River Valley?  There are many different branches of archeological work in  this region.  You could even include Greece, parts of North Africa and down the Red Sea.

What is important is not the region but rather the techniques needed to do the archaeology and to gain a clear understanding of the cultures who left the remains behind.  For this you should have a background in computer technology, geology and metallurgy. These along with Anthropology would be good starting points.  

I also did not have much money to start with and what I did was go to a local community college with had very good acreditation which allowed all of my credits to transfer to other colleges and universities.  I also participated on digs sponsered by local colleges and universities. This way I got credit from several sources all of which were fairly inexpensive.  

Since I don't know where you live, I can't give you complete advice but I can tell you that Cambridge and UC Egypt are both good schools but you can also go to the University of Pennsylvania or Columbia University or even the University of Chicago and get a great education in the field.  There are other schools in the US that specialize in archaeology in different areas of the middle east and beyond.  

So, help me understand the focus you want to have and I will provide more guidance about what you need to study.