Thought I had better give a quick 'hello'

[Westmarcher]

With some 35 posts or so under your belt, I realise that me warning you to run and not to look back will be of no avail. I therefore welcome you and wish you all the best, fig.ht.

On a serious note, good to have an archaeologist on board. I have flirted with the idea of participating in that noble calling but, whilst digging and scraping on some hot summer day (with a nice village pub within easy walking distance) has its attractions, alas, the same operation in cold and wet conditions is a distinct turn-off. So, respect to you. Alas, it seemed that the younger generation might be made of hardier stuff - for a while, my youngest daughter was interested in archaeology (this is the girl who said. "Oh no, not another castle" in the days when dragged the family around Historic Scotland and English Heritage properties) and won the 2nd Year students Archaeology prize at Glasgow Uni - but not to be as she then gave it up! (Moral of the story; don't hand out such prizes before checking the student will continue with that discipline!). Regards.

[Dunnadd]

i did some archaeology at university - some of the digs were fun and interesting. A lot of the lectures and books less so. Only so much i could stand of "the cists were 2.1m by 3m, 3.5m by 5.2m and blah de balh, depths blah de blah, spacing blah de blah". Ended up switching to politics.

I think the only way to make money out of it is get on Time Team ( who enrage most professional archaeologists, who see their hurried excavations as wilful destruction) or try to get funding for a visitor centre and cafe of some kind around a big dig or series of them. That, or steal the gold. I never did, but one of the finds cataloging people at Whithorn always used to suspect me of keeping finds.

No idea why, as any time i found anything gold, i'd shout "I've found gold", and the dig organisers would tell me to keep my voice down to avoid the locals coming for a gold rush at night with pickaxes.

I was a rubbish excavator too. Someone would show me some brown dirt and tell me to dig through the pinkish layer and into the black one but then stop at the slightly greenish one and i'd nod and pretend it didn't all look exactly the same shade of brown to me.

Archaeology usually seemed to me to be mostly either dull (sticking purely to what was excavated) or involving supposing an awful lot based on very little (where there were no written historical records covering the period). Only really comes into its own for periods where there is some historical record, but not much of one, so it can help fill in some of the gaps.

[Leman]

Well whatever it was it's purpose was probably ceremonial.

[Orcs]

Welcome to the Foum Bill,

[Ithoriel]

Well whatever it was it's purpose was probably ceremonial.

They're used to be a lovely spoof on the archaeological "ritual object" classification in cartoon form but I can't find it now

It included the "ritual offering shrine." A small shrine mounted on a pole where worshippers could place discs stamped with the image of the god so as to receive a brief blessing. The accompanying image? A parking meter

Or the ceremonial garb of the officiating priest at a burnt offering? A chef's apron with the image of a burger and the sacred incantation "Come And Get It!" inscribed on the front!

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Morning Bill...

IanS

[Hertsblue]

Welcome, Bill. My cousin trained as an archaeologist and now works as an accountant. Which probably sums up the state of the occupation.

[Dunnadd]

Leman wrote

Well whatever it was it's purpose was probably ceremonial.

Yeah, heard that said more than once by dig directors and lecturers. There were lots of brilliant theories to explain the material remains of buildings, napped bits of flint and flint tools etc, all of which were consistent with the facts, because the facts are so thin on the ground in periods before historical records.

Gets a lot more useful in periods that do have historical records for filling in the gaps in them a little.

[Roy]

I'm a bit late but, Hello Cumberland 
This is from North Riding (don't you just hate those silly new place names!)