Week 4: Starting a New Project is Full of Challenges

This year is the first that excavations at this site have occurred. It grew out of excavations from a different nearby site so the other members on my team and myself are all working on brand a brand new project and we do not know much as to what to expect from what we will gather from this site. So far we have ran into much that we did not expect. As we were digging, we expected to not find any evidence of occupation past the house floor dated to around 600 years ago. However, as we dug through the house floor we found evidence of a previous occupation before the house was even built, identified by burnt and charred food remains and features in the sediment deposits.

Not only do archaeologists have to deal with these unexpected findings but also with funding for their research. Grants are the main ways that archaeologists fund their research. This week a previous Wake student now doing archaeology in Alaska came to discuss employment opportunities after graduation and to help us better understand what a career in archaeology is like. He informed us that when applying to grants to pay attention to what is trending in research that is receiving grant funds now. Such as right now a lot of grants are going toward refugee research so if you focus research on the archaeology of refugees then you are more likely to receive grants. He also gave us some tips and names of Wake Forest alums who may help us after graduation in finding jobs in the field.

My favorite thing that happened this week was after finding nothing while digging a meter into the ground, we I finally came across the features under the housefloor that may indicate a previous occupation. This exciting find could give some insight into the lives of the people who once lived here.