Archeology was already mentioned in ancient Greece. For example, Plato, by this concept, understood the study of antiquity, and in the Renaissance meant the study of the history of Greece and Ancient Rome. In foreign science, this term is associated with anthropology. In Russia, archeology is a science that studies fossil materials that are associated with human activity in ancient times. She studies excavations and currently collaborates with many scientific branches and has several sections dealing with different eras and cultural areas.
The profession of an archaeologist is a multifaceted and interesting work.
People study the culture and life of ancient civilizations, restoring the distant past from the remains that are carefully excavated in the strata of the earth. This work requires great care and laboriousness. Since over time, the remains of the past become more fragile and dilapidated.
An archaeologist is a person who excavates in search of sources for new research. Often this profession is compared with detective work. The work of archaeologists is creative, requiring attention, imagination and abstract thinking - to recreate the pristine picture of the ancient world in the past.
The profession has become popular in Greece and Ancient Rome. Since that time, the Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages were known, many excavations were carried out and even more ancient architectural monuments were found. In the Renaissance, the main goal of archaeologists was to find ancient sculptures. As a separate science, it was formed at the beginning of the 20th century.
What qualities an archaeologist should possess
It takes knowledge of the many facts accumulated by scientists in a chosen field for their activities. This may be the era of the Neolithic or Paleolithic, Bronze, Early Iron, Scythian time, antiquity, may be Slavic-Russian archeology, etc. The list is not complete, and it can be continued. An archaeologist is an interesting profession, but requires the erudition of scientists and the ability to compare various sources.
Such a person should have an opinion and be able to uphold, argue, relying on logic, and not on emotions. It can be difficult, but it is necessary to abandon your hypotheses if there are facts that refute them. The work of archaeologists requires the presence of important qualities - this is patience, diligence, accuracy. They are extremely necessary during excavations.
Good stamina and physical preparation are needed, since the work of archaeologists is most often associated with excavations that take place in various climatic conditions. Plus the absence of allergies to organic materials. An archaeologist is a person who must be balanced, calm, able to work in a team.
Knowledge that is required
Professionals should be able to draw, draw, photograph. Own the basics of not only restoration, but also the preservation of metal, stone, clay and organic materials (leather, bone, wood, fabric, etc.). Broad knowledge of anthropology, linguistics, ethnography, geodesy, topography, geology and paleozoology is absolutely necessary. Those archaeologists who study historical antiquities should have a good knowledge of history and supporting disciplines (textology, numismatics, paleography, sphragistics, heraldry and much more).
Field archeologists should be economists, good organizers, educators, and psychologists. But the most important thing is that they must be able to “see the earth”, read its layers and layers and correctly compare the found antiquities.
Occupational diseases
Archaeological people have their own diseases, which they acquire on expeditions. Most often it is gastritis or a gastric ulcer, which directly depends on the quality of food, as often there are no normal conditions for cooking. Rheumatism and sciatica are also common, as archaeologists often have to live in tents under various weather conditions. Because of this, various arthrosis and arthritis occur.
What is the work of an archaeologist?
What do archaeologists do? Not only global excavations, but also separate mosaic fragments that must be correctly selected and carefully put together. It often happens that the mysteries of the past take many years to solve. But the final result is worth it. Since it is in this way that you can recreate the past, which, it would seem, is forever hidden in the bowels of the planet.
What do archaeologists do? They study the sources, analyze them and subsequently supplement them with various already known facts. Investigations include not only excavations, but also the cabinet part, when work takes place directly with artifacts and documents. Scientists can work not only on land, but also under water.
The most famous archaeologists
Heinrich Schliemann is a German scientist who discovered Troy. This is one of the first pioneer archaeologists who began to study antiquity. He was born on 6.01.1822. According to the horoscope - Capricorn. He excavated in Syria, Egypt, Palestine, Greece and Turkey. For almost half of his life, Henry tried to show the historical importance of Homer's epic. He tried to prove that all the events described in the poems are not fantasy, but reality.
The Norwegian anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl was born in October 1914, 1914. He has written many books. His expeditions have always been bright, filled with heroic events. Many of his works caused controversy among scientists, but it was thanks to Tur that interest in the ancient history of the peoples of the world greatly increased.
There are well-known archaeologists in Russia. These include Boris Piotrovsky, he was born in 1908. The zodiac sign is Aquarius. This is a famous Russian historian-orientalist and academician. He explored many monuments of the North Caucasus, Transcaucasia and Central Asia. Since 1949, the Deputy Director of the Hermitage for the scientific part has been appointed.
Outstanding discoveries
Archaeologists distinguish 10 of the most significant finds of the world that were found during excavations:
- Rosetta stone discovered near the village of Rashid. It is a granodiorite (rock) with the inscription Ptolemy V (Egyptian king). The inscription is made by Egyptian hieroglyphs, in Greek and demotic writing.
- Venus of Milos - a famous statue of ancient Greece. The period of late Hellenism. It was found by a Greek peasant in 1820 on the island of Milos. But the hands of the statue were never found.
- Angkor Wat (temple city) is an outstanding Buddhist monument in Cambodia. It is part of a complex of temples. It was discovered by the French traveler Henri Muo in 1861. The name of this city was subsequently called an entire era.
- Troy, Ilion - the oldest city on the peninsula near the Dardanelles. Troy has become very famous for poems. Excavations revealed 46 cultural layers, subsequently divided into several periods.
- Mycenae is the oldest city in southern Greece, in Argolis. It is considered the largest center of Aegean culture. During the excavations, many tombs were found, in which there were treasures - swords, rings, gold and silver objects, masks, plates and coinage discs.
- Minoan civilization was discovered by Arthur Evans - an English archaeologist. At the excavations, palace and city buildings, necropolises were found. One of the most famous finds is a stone disc with inscriptions in a language unknown to scientists.
- Machu Picchu - Inca fortress, city-sanctuary. Discovered by an American scientist Hyrum Bingham. These picturesque ruins are one of the best examples of post-Imperial stone construction. The monument has preserved 200 different rooms and structures, temples, residential buildings, defensive structures.
- The tomb of Tutankhamun near Luxor was opened by the British archaeologist Howard Cater. Huge treasures were located in the tomb itself, and the mummy was buried in three sarcophagi, which were enclosed one into the other.
- Birch bark letters - scratched and squeezed out on a birch bark. The first time they were found in Novgorod. And already in 2012 there were over a thousand.
- Princess Ukok is an ancient mummy found in a Scythian barrow in Altai, on the border with Mongolia. Her age is over 2.5 thousand years.
Inexplicable Finds
What do archaeologists find out of the unusual? There are a number of excavated exhibits that are logically simply impossible to explain. The scientific community was alarmed by the figures of Akambaro. The first was found in Mexico by the German Voldemar Jalsrad. The figures, it would seem, were of ancient origin, but caused a lot of skepticism among scientists.
Drop Stones are the echoes of an ancient civilization. These are hundreds of stone disks found on the cave floor, on which stories about spaceships were engraved. They were ruled by creatures whose remains were also found in the cave.
Scary finds
In archeology, there are quite terrible finds. For example, flashy mummies. One of these was tied hand and foot, but a scream froze on her face. There were suggestions that she was buried alive, tortured, poisoned. But studies have shown that the jaw was simply tied up badly or did not do it at all, so the mummy's mouth was open.
Archaeologists have also found huge claws of an unknown monster. And the found skull and beak of enormous size only convinced scientists that it would not be pleasant if such a monster met someone on its way. But later it turned out that these were the ancient ancestors of the bird of Moa. And their growth exceeded human by 2-3 times. They say that it is likely that this bird has survived to this day, and you can try to find it in areas of New Zealand. The natives of this country have a lot of legends regarding Moa.
Archaeological Tools
During excavations, this kind of tool is mainly used: bayonet, shovel and sapper shovels, various picks and choppers, garden shovels, brooms, sledgehammers, hammers and brushes of different sizes. The work of an archaeologist can be quite difficult, especially when you have to dig large mounds.
An important point is the correct operation at the facility. And the ability to choose the right tool is also needed. The head of the excavation site not only monitors the health status of archaeologists, but also helps to correctly use the right brushes and shovels.
How to become an archaeologist
You can learn both in full-time and part-time. An archaeologist is a profession that anyone who has a craving for antiquity and excavations can acquire. To do this, you need to enter a university, in which historians are trained. It is the graduates in this discipline who can then engage in excavations and other areas. An archaeologist - this is the historian. However, unlike the latter, he is engaged not only in the study of theory, but also with his own hands searches for and explores antiquity.
Archeologist salary
The Russian salary on average is approximately 15 thousand rubles. But only in one expedition can an archaeologist get up to 30 thousand rubles. Salaries in different cities may vary. For example, in Moscow, it ranges from 20 to 30 thousand rubles. In the regions, it is approximately 5-7 thousand lower.