Archaeological Vacations

Lesson 2: What Can I Do

Volunteer Programs

If you want to get dirty and excavate, your best option is to volunteer. Volunteers work for free and usually pay for their own room and board. Often if room and board is provided, there is a fee for volunteering.

Most digs will provide all of the tools and equipment you will require. Volunteer programs allow you to dig for as little or as long as you want. However, some programs require at least a two day commitment.

There are both formal and informal volunteer programs. Basically, the difference between a formal and an informal volunteer program is that the formal volunteer program hires staff specifically to train and supervise volunteers.

Most formal volunteer programs tend to charge a volunteer fee to pay for the extra staff required. This volunteer coordinator may have one volunteer or thirty volunteers to coordinate. The program generally includes a short tour of the site, basic instructions, and supervision.

The volunteer coordinator will place you in an excavation unit that suits your experience. Generally, someone with very little experience will be placed in an excavation unit away from the main activity area (with few artifacts) or an area that has been disturbed. In this way, if you make a mistake, the archaeologists don't loose as much information. More important or complex areas are generally reserved for those volunteers with more experience or professional archaeologists.

You can also volunteer for excavations that do not have a formal volunteer program. Any excavation, academic or consulting, will usually take on experienced volunteers. Usually you will not be charged for volunteering for these informal programs but will be expected to pay for your room and board.

Minimal instruction and supervision will be given on these digs. Basically, you will be pointed to an excavation unit and told to dig. The good news is that you will probably be given a unit within the main activity area. This means you are more likely to find interesting artifacts. Unfortunately, there is also a lot more pressure to complete the excavation quickly and correctly in these areas.

Therefore, if you are a first time volunteer, you should either choose a formal volunteer program or sign up for a field school before you volunteer on a dig without a formal volunteer program.

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