ARCHAEOLOGY -Life in the Trenches

Archaeology is a beguiling occupation. Whowouldn't be attracted to finding cool, old stuffburied in the ground? It appeals to the child in usall.But archaeology isn't all gold masks, crystalskulls and temples. Often it's chert flakes on alake shore, burials in the forgotten corner of afield, or pioneer dwellings in the woods.Sometimes it just isn't all that glamorous.The reality is that for every well-knownarchaeologist - the kind you might see doingexciting things on TV - there are legions of lesshigh-profile characters working in thebackground. Their work may not be quite assexy or result in paradigm-changingdiscoveries, but it is important and valuable.The following chapters are snap-shots ofarchaeology from more than forty years of workin both Britain and Canada. Rather thanspending too much time on the scientific andtechnical, Nick has focussed on stories whichconvey the life of a working archaeologist ......well, his working life anyway.