37 Axioms for Cultural Resource Management Archaeologists
Here are 37 things I’ve learned in nearly 20 years of working as a professional archeologist in the United States.
Job Tips
A Workation and an Archaeology Conference
Read about my experiences at the 2023 Society for Historical Archaeology Conference in Lisbon, Portugal
Mental Bandwidth, Poverty, and Archaeology
Too many archaeologists focus on scarcity. There isn’t enough grant money. Not enough cultural resource management archaeology contracts. Not enough hours in the budget to get this project done. Focusing on what don’t have blinds us to opportunities for archaeology to make an impact beyond academia and consulting. It also […]
How fieldwork decides who gets to be a CRM archaeologist and who doesn’t 1
During my time in cultural resource management archaeology, I have noticed how field experience, or lack thereof, creates a separation between those archaeologists who go out in the field (A.K.A “dirt archaeologists”) and those who spend most of their time in the office. Most of the office archaeologists used to […]
A thousand archaeology conference presentations at your fingertips 2
You’ve paid to attend a conference; traveled all the way to the venue. All is well, but you’re realizing several conflicts with the archaeology presentations you want to see. Some talks went long. Some are scheduled at the same as others. Basically, you aren’t going to see all the talks […]
28 Tips for Attending an Archaeology Conference
I love attending archaeology conferences. Last week was the 13th time I’ve attended the Society for Historical Archaeology’s annual conference. I have also given talks at other regional and state archaeology conferences in the past. I discussed some of my initial impressions of #SHA2018 on the CRM Archaeology Podcast, but […]
5 Archaeology Must-Haves for 2018
It’s time for us to begin our winter celebrations. In the Western world, Santa’s sleigh bells are ringing, the menorah is going up, kinara candles are about to be lit, and celebrations for the birth of the Prophet are in preparation. Other peoples are celebrating the winter (or summer) in […]
Who qualifies as an archaeologist?
How many times have you heard this: “The Register of Professional Archaeologists (RPA) doesn’t mean anything; $100 a year! Why should I join?” The lack of widespread professional certifications, aside from a college degree, is cited as a weakness of doing professional archaeology in the United States. It seems like […]
Planning for winter: Employment suggestions for archaeology students
Yesterday, I participated in recording the latest episode of the CRM Archaeology Podcast—#120: Winter is Coming. Even though it’s a play off the Game of Thrones’ famous line, preparing for winter is a salient issue for any one working in cultural resource management industry. Winter preparations are different for CMRers […]
A Trimble is great but field archaeologists still use a compass 2
One of the most controversial blog posts I’ve ever written discusses a situation where a former co-worker and field tech had to teach their PhD supervisor how to draw a plan map. Many commenters told me it wasn’t a PhD’s job to know how to do the work of a […]