Today, between classes who were reviewing for finals, I ran across an article on cnn.com entitled "Shortcuts: How to make it as an archaeologist" by Paul Sussman posted back on December 11, 2006 – an interesting little piece. Over the last few summers I have read a couple of Sussman’s books – The Lost Army of Cambyses and The Last Secret of the Temple. According to this article, to become an archaeologist you need to:
1) Forget the bull whip
2) Study hard, get the qualifications
3) Volunteer as "trowel fodder"
4) Resign yourself to a lifetime of poorly-paid obscurity
5) Find Nefertiti
I certainly agree with the first four and while number 5 would be great, I don’t think one should concentrate on making the spectacular discovery since that can lead to issues, problems, and frustration. But then again I am happy with lots of pot sherds, so what do I know?
RSM
Ancient History Ramblings 