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What
route did people take to migrate from Africa to Europe? How were
bronze tools used 5,000 years ago? These are the questions Paul
Goldberg ponders when he's not in the classroom or the laboratory.
Goldberg
is a professor at Boston University. He spends school breaks in
international destinations including Israel and South Africa, seeking
answers to questions that have long confounded humankind. That's
the life of an academic archaeologist - and Goldberg definitely
digs it.
Some
archaeologists spend all their time in the field, like Goldberg's
colleagues at Boston University who run field schools in countries
like Belize, which contains important Mayan sites.
Goldberg
has an unusual specialty: geoarchaeology. He studies the physical
history of an archaeological site as opposed to the cultural history.
He works with historical archaeologists to help locate a site based
on the geological changes that have occurred in a particular area
and interpret the artifacts found there. Most major projects have
a geologist on the crew when one is available.
Goldberg
recently traveled to a site outside Beijing, China, where the remains
of "Peking Man" were found, to analyze the soil for signs of the
use of fire. While there, Goldberg sampled fried scorpions: he has
an adventurous palate to match his spirit. Traveling to exotic countries
and eating rare delicacies are definite perks of his work for him.
Heavy
lifting required
On a dig, archaeologists do more than dust off ancient artifacts
like pottery bowls or crude utensils. They do the heavy lifting
- shoveling dirt with a trowel to unearth remains. If it's a big
site with perhaps a building or structure to unearth, workers are
hired to help. But the archaeologist is always there to make sure
that care is taken not to destroy possible finds.
Incredibly,
archaeologists have only begun to scratch the surface of the historic
remains scattered around the globe. Even in Greece, a country synonymous
with archaeology, there are still many untapped sites to explore.
A
college degree will suffice
You don't have to spend years in graduate school like Goldberg to
experience the thrill of working on giant treasure hunts. Major
new construction projects, like building a road, have funds mandated
for "cultural resource management" to determine whether the area
contains historic sites that will be affected by the construction.
If it does, a dig is commissioned, often under tight time constraints.
"Sometimes, you're digging in front of the bulldozer," says Goldberg.
Engineering firms and other firms specializing in this work hire
people with only a bachelor's or master's degree in archaeology.
These projects are generally in the United States.
So
if you want to spend your time unearthing important cultural relics
and eating fried scorpions, put on your work clothes, pack your
bags for foreign travel...and dream on!
-
Elaine Gottlieb, Salary.com Contributor
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