Who is an archaeologist and what does he do?

The specialty of an archaeologist can be attributed to professions that are covered with a certain touch of mystery and even light mysticism. In the minds of most ordinary people, archaeologists are like treasure seekers, only for the former searching for the most ancient artifacts is a kind of art, while for the latter it becomes only a way of making money.

Archaeologists are useful to society, therefore archeology is classified as one of those categories of knowledge that absolutely do not accept random individuals - that is why specialists planning to work as archaeologists should familiarize themselves as closely as possible with all the features of this profession and only then make a decision about whether it suits them or no.

The roots of archeology go back to the days of Ancient Rome - numerous artifacts discovered during excavations during that period became a confirmation of this. A during the Renaissance, trained people were everywhere looking for antique sculptures... Nevertheless, archeology as a separate scientific direction arose much later.

So, in Russia "diggers of the earth", looking for interesting facts and evidence of the life of people in ancient times, appeared at the end of the 17th century. And already in the middle of the XIX century. archeology has acquired an official scientific status. This coincided with the period of the creation of scientific communities, the widespread opening of museums and their filling with exhibits - this is exactly what the very first attempts to learn about history, hidden from people under the thickness of the earth, looked like.

There are no boundaries for a competent person these days. With their expedition, archaeologists can always go to the most remote corners of the planet.... And thanks to the advent of new devices, perfect research methods and universal computerization, a huge leap was made in the laboratory direction of studying artifacts.

It's obvious that the main object of archeology are artifacts... They are objects created by people or processed by them. In science, they are called material sources, they include tools, weapons, decorative items, household utensils, as well as the remains of buildings and the coals of ancient fireplaces - all this is evidence that indicates the peculiarities of human development.

Material sources are laconic. In them there is no mention of the events that took place, moreover, most of them were created long before the birth of the first writing. By itself, a fragment of a pot found during excavations can tell little to people, therefore, such artifacts cannot be viewed in isolation from the studied place, the depth of occurrence, the surrounding environment, as well as objects found nearby. In the course of his work, an archaeologist looks for evidence of past eras, after which he carefully studies them in a research laboratory, subjects them to classifications and, if necessary, restores.

Archeology actively uses the methods of related disciplines - these are humanitarian direction (anthropology and ethnography) and natural science subjects (chemistry, geography, physics, biology, soil science or geography).

Let's take a simple example. In order to determine the time of use of an object, scientists need to take into account which layer of the earth it was in - since each of them corresponds to a certain time epoch.

An archaeologist in his work has no right to rely on fantasies; every conclusion he draws must have an evidence base.

In most cases, archaeologists specialize in certain historical time periods or certain regions, for example, a scientist has every chance of becoming a highly professional expert on the Paleolithic period in Asia if he has studied the sites of ancient people found there for many years.

Depending on the search methods, the work of archaeologists can be divided into three groups:

• field - involves the search for artifacts by conducting excavations on land;
• underwater - includes work under water;
• experimental - specialists in this area are engaged in the reconstruction of objects of the past.

Archaeologists use a variety of tools in their professional activities. So, in the course of field excavations, a shovel and a pickaxe are needed; to clean the found artifacts, a syringe and a brush are used.

An obvious advantage of workers in the field of archeology is the opportunity to often travel for a long time with their like-minded people. In addition, representatives of this profession spend the lion's share of their working time in the natural environment in the fresh air - and this can also be considered an advantage of the specialty.

It was not possible to determine any other advantages of this specialty. It is possible that it is precisely such an unconvincing list of advantages that has become the reason that today archeology as an educational field is rapidly losing its popularity among applicants.

At the same time, there are many more disadvantages to the profession of an archaeologist. Let's list the most significant.

• From the outside, it might seem that archeology is about adventure, trekking, and iconic discoveries. but in practice it is hard, physically exhausting work and monotonous work, which even the strongest and most resilient men often cannot cope with.
• Low salaries, and sometimes a complete lack of earnings... This is due to weak government funding for any research on artifacts.
• Many months spent in Spartan conditionslead to the fact that archaeologists are often forced to eat what nature has to offer and sleep on bare ground in the open air.
• Not every excavation ends with great discoveries.... It happens that significant discoveries are made by someone else, and in this case the specialist has a feeling that part of his life has been spent in vain.
• And of course, lengthy archaeological expeditions prevent family creation and building a fulfilling personal life.

It is not easy to figure out what is the difference between archeology and paleontologists - these directions are often confused. Indeed, there are similarities between these disciplines - both of them are aimed at studying life in the past. But there are differences, and in order to understand them, you first need to clarify what paleontologists are doing.

So, a paleontologist is a scientist who studies life forms that existed in prehistoric times, represented in the form of fossils of animals, plants and some other organisms.

The main differences between archaeologists and paleontologists can be distinguished according to certain criteria.

• Field of work... A paleontologist studies the science of paleontology, and an archaeologist studies archeology.
• Item... A paleontologist studies life on earth from a biological point of view. The archaeologist is looking for evidence of human life and cultural development.
• An object... Paleontologists gain information by studying the characteristics of terrestrial fossils. Archaeologists are studying artifacts.

Let's take a closer look at the duties of an archaeologist. First of all, his activities are associated with participation in expeditions. At the first stage, this the specialist will have to concretize the areas where he plans to carry out excavations and obtain permission for their implementation... After that, he goes on to study the history of the area, during which he seeks to collect as much data as possible.

Next, the practical stage begins, that is, work in the field. It boils down to the fact that archaeologists literally "extract" artifacts from the earth... Each find is removed as carefully as possible and packed into special blocks, boxes or bags, after which they must be numbered, carry out an inventory, enter the data into special catalogs and send them to the laboratory for further research.

The resulting artifacts are photographed and covered with a special protective compound - if this is not done, then it is possible that the find will simply collapse under the influence of open air and light.

Nowadays, archaeologists work with the most modern computer programs and technologies that make it possible to make a 3D reconstruction of the area based on the data of ancient maps or to recreate volumetric virtual models of found objects. Not so long ago, even a whole direction appeared - virtual archeology, it is based on the use of modern methods of modeling in three-dimensional graphics. The duration of the study varies from several hours to tens of years.

An archaeologist is, first of all, a representative of a serious scientific direction, which is why his work, in addition to good physical fitness and excellent health, requires a wide outlook and knowledge in various fields.

This specialist will not be able to do without confident knowledge in such areas as:

• anthropology;
• paleography;
• heraldry;
• ethnography;
• textual criticism;
• numismatics;
• restoration.

It should be noted that the work of an archaeologist can only be done by true enthusiasts in their field, for whom the study of antiquity and excavations become not one of the labor episodes of life, but a real vocation, a dictate of the heart.

A good archaeologist must necessarily have such personal qualities as:

• passion for history;
• predisposition to an ascetic lifestyle;
• tendency to monotonous work;
• analytical type of thinking;
• psychological stability;
• physical endurance
• good health.

In addition, archaeologists often have to master new sciences and areas of knowledge, so a real fan of archaeological work is always inclined to thirst for new knowledge and skills improvement, he should be motivated to receive additional self-education.

In order to work as an archaeologist, you must definitely get a higher education. It will not be easy to study, the main emphasis in the curriculum, regardless of the university, is placed on the study of such a subject as history... In addition, students are required to be taught the basics of excavation, as well as the rules for handling the artifacts found. Upon completion of the program, they will have to do an internship at the excavation site, defend a scientific project and take theoretical exams..

In Russia, there are only two specialized universities that graduate qualified archaeologists - this is the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, as well as the Moscow Archaeological Institute.

More often than not, university graduates who have mastered the specialty of an archaeologist get the opportunity to work in any research institute, get a job as a teacher in one of the educational institutions. An archaeologist can devote himself to scientific activities at any time - make interesting discoveries and defend their design work in order to receive the next academic title.

Archaeologists are also in demand in museums, where they are responsible for the preservation of artifacts, as well as organizing excursions and preparing exhibitions.

Young specialists are often employed as laboratory assistants, and the most ambitious employees have good chances to build a career to become a head of a department or even a head of a scientific institution.

The average salary of an archaeologist is 45-50 thousand rubles, but in fact it has a wide range. Judging by the data collected on job sites, the minimum wage is 15 thousand rubles, and the maximum these specialists earn 150 thousand rubles.