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I Volunteered for This?! Life on an Archaeological Dig
ects, some larger excavations may have well-organized programs of lectures, training sessions, and supplementary field trips to other sites.
Smaller projects generally are more informally organized. Size and organizational structure are not automatic criteria for a successful learning
experience, however. A volunteer may learn more on a small “no frills”
project with an experienced, dedicated staff than on a sophisticated
“field school” program which is poorly run. The key to a successful summer lies partly in a volunteer’s personal attitude (of which more below)
and partly in knowing as much as possible in advance about the project.
Here then are some questions to ask:

How rigorous are the application standards?
The more thorough and well-organized the application process the greater
the likelihood that the project itself is responsibly conducted. Do not
resent application forms asking for detailed personal information or
requirements for a medical examination and letters of reference. If project directors treat you casually as a prospective volunteer, they may
approach their archaeological work casually, also.
Patti O’Connor
Sifters watch closely for small objects.
(Photograph from excavation near Jericho led
by Rachel Hachlili.)

How experienced is the staff?
How many seasons has the project been in the field? What archaeological experience have the senior staff members had, at this site or elsewhere? What publications have staff members produced?

What will be the ratio of experienced supervisory
staff to volunteers?
A responsible project normally will be organized with small teams of workers (four to six persons) under close guidance by an experienced supervi-

Patti O’Connor
The recording system at a dig depends on
establishing fixed points to which locations of
finds may be referred. The surveyor’s measurements provide these fixed points.

Eliezer Oren
Volunteers work in tandem to fill buckets which will then be
sifted to recover bits which might have been missed by the excavators—such as coins, scarabs, and gold chips from jewelry.

© 2006 Biblical Archaeology Society

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