I Volunteered for This?! Life on an Archaeological Dig
“The best age for diggers is about 15 to 20 years. After that many turn stupid, and only a small proportion
are worth having between 20 and 40. After 40 very few are of any use,” advised Sir William Flinders Petrie
in 1904.1 Fifteen years earlier, Petriea had ushered in the era of scientific archaeological excavation at Tell
el-Hesi, 15 miles northeast of Gaza in modern Israel.2 Petrie’s experiences in the field led him to offer his
fellow archaeologists hints on what to look for in laborers:
“The best workers are the scraggly under-sized youths, with wizened wiry faces. … Beside the mere
physical strength of the fellow, the face has to be studied for the