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I Volunteered for This?! Life on an Archaeological Dig

1994 Excavation Opportunities
Diggers—From Paid Peasants to Eager Volunteers
By Kenneth Atkinson

Courtesy of the Matson Collection, Episcopal Home/Inset courtesy of the Library, University College London
In eerie procession, women file across the crest of BethShemesh, balancing baskets of dirt on their heads on their way
from the excavation site to the dump. Local laborers filled the
work rosters of early archaeological digs, like this one conducted
from 1928 to 1933 by Elihu Grant of the Haverford Expedition
and that conducted by Sir William Flinders Petrie (inset) at Tell
el-Hesi in the 1890s.
Today, volunteers do much of the dirty work—but under different
conditions. They attend lectures at the dig, receive college credit,
take tours of other sites, wash and record sherds and become
respected partners on the team. The increased participation of
trained, enthusiastic volunteers in archaeology has greatly
enhanced the field and has helped make it a more scientific discipline. Unpaid workers keep costs down, make excavation
reports more accurate and ensure a future supply of skilled interpreters of ancient data.

© 2006 Biblical Archaeology Society

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