ArchaeologyYou are in: North Yorkshire > History > Archaeology > The life of an archaeologist  Cecily Spalls The life of an archaeologistBy Nicola Lawrence Ever imagined what being a full-time archaeologist would be like? Can it really be all Indiana Jones? We caught up with York-based archaeologist Cecily Spalls to find out more... - Q: Cecily, we know you're an archaeologist, but what precisely is your job title?
- A: I'm a 'Finds Supervisor' which means that I deal with all the material is recovered from sites. We have to wash the finds, organise them and get them sent off to the correct specialist who can then identify them and tell us all about them.
- Q: How did you first get into archaeology?
- A: I chose to do it at university because I thought it was such an interesting subject and then I trained as a student with the company that I work for now, so that's how I got into this job really.
- Q: What attracted you to it as a student?
- A: I think it is the finds to be honest, they're so fascinating. All of the different things that people have thrown away, and how much that can tell you about that person, it really intrigued me.
- Q: What is the most interesting thing you've found?
- A: It is a Roman intaglio, a gemstone setting from a signet ring. It had actually been thrown into an Anglo-Saxon cess-pit, the Saxons would have taken the gold and then discarded the gem setting.
- Q: Where's the most interested place you've excavated?
- A: I haven't excavated abroad, but we have an excavation that we run every year in North East Scotland, it's a site called Tarbat Monastery in a very remote fishing village. The monastery was founded by the Picts who were a Scottish nation which were integrated with the Scottish during the 9th century.
- Q: How do people become full time archaeologists?
- A: I think nowadays a university degree is the normal route, but it doesn't always have to be that way. There are loads of way that you can get into archaeology on a volunteer basis. If you didn't want to be a full-time professional, there are plenty of opportunities for participation.
- Q: So how can people in North Yorkshire get involved?
- A: There are various digs that happen which have public access, so people can go there and take a look at exhibitions and go on site tours. They can watch archaeologists in action. That includes school visits and hands-on activities for kids. We did one recently with the Roman site at Moss Street in York which all the kids really enjoyed. There's also the Archaeological Resource Centre where people can go and visit.There are increasingly more excavations that have activities and public access.
- Q: Is York a good place to excavate?
- A: It can be. The area where there was the highest concentration of inhabitation, the area around the fortress, you don't very often get to the necessary depth to reach the Roman level. But if you go further out than the Roman core, outside the city walls, there's lots of developments happening around the remains of the Roman city which often hit the Roman cemeteries which would have been just outside the Roman walls. It's not uncommon to find cremations in pots which have offerings of glass and tiles. Later on the Romans began cremating themselves rather then burying themselves so you can find Roman burials as well. They line the routes of the Roman routes out of the city which is why you find them so often when building work takes place on the outskirts of York.
last updated: 31/03/2008 at 14:15
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