/ 077Adventure hackers
Digging the past‘WHEN YOU DO
ARCHAEOLOGY YOU
GET YOUR HANDS
DIRTY AND DO
PHYSICAL WORK’‘It’s so exciting when you
start to uncover something,
then you have to slow down
to get it out of the ground
carefully and the whole team
gets excited too. It feels like a
big family. Once you’ve got the
artefact, it’s fascinating taking
it to the expert who knows
exactly what and how old it
is – whether you have found
something unique or just a
bone from a cow! It is amazing
to be the first person to handle
something that has been
buried for centuries.
‘I think archaeology would
make an interesting career for
people who are curious and
who like teamwork. Finding
physical things from times
when so much has been lost
is totally awesome. I believe
that history is not all about the
past; it also helps us to predict
the future.’
Daisy Reeves-Turner, aged 12,
who recently attended a dig
at Peterborough Cathedral
organised by Access
Cambridge Archaeology.I love touching the everyday objects
that people used centuries ago’After a degree in Performing Arts and Business
Management, 41-year-old Claire Millington joined
the Foreign Office and became a diplomat. But she is
also a keen amateur archaeologist, who delights in
finding out about her local area and its historyCareers advisers don’t often mention archaeology
as a potential job. As a result, many people come into
it later in life. Claire Millington only discovered her
passion for archaeology after resuming studying
for an Open University Masters degree in Classical
Studies. ‘I’ve always been interested in history, but I’d
never really come across archaeology until I used it as
one of the sources for my Masters degree,’ she says.
Since 2012, Millington has regularly put her wellies
on and volunteered for the Museum of London
Archaeology’s (MOLA) Thames Discovery Programme
(TDP). TDP gave her four days of training, which
involved fieldwork to learn how to record timbers,
along with lectures on the history
of London and its archaeology. ‘I
love touching everyday objects
and knowing that people used
them centuries ago,’ she says. ‘It
gives you a connection and it’s a
real part of puzzling out the past.’A typical day for volunteers (known as FROGs:
the Foreshore Recording and Observation Group)
involves rising early to be on the foreshore at low tide,
then observing any changes – from newly visible
timber structures, to pottery, clay pipes and old
bones. ‘Usually, if a survey is undertaken, a MOLA
archaeologist works with the volunteers to make
sure everything is recorded correctly and ensure it
can become part of the body of academic knowledge,’
says Millington.
A highlight has been learning about the Tudor jetty
at Greenwich Palace. It was chiefly used to carry
supplies to the palace, but was sometimes also used
by royalty. Part of the foreshore at Greenwich is now
a Scheduled Ancient Monument in recognition of the
significance of the remains found there.
Having caught the archaeology bug, Millington
plans to continue volunteering in the long term. She
is studying for a PhD in Classics and hopes eventually
to find work on a community archaeology project.
‘Historic things have always interested me. Now I have
the opportunity to do something in a work capacity.’Best bit ‘You meet so many
people of all ages from all sorts
of different backgrounds – but
you’ve got something in common;
a deep interest in your local area.’
Worst bit ‘The early starts!’CLAIRE’S TOP TIPS
FOR WANNABE
ARCHAEOLOGISTSJoin in with digs going on in
your area – to find out more,
visit new.archaeologyuk.org/
If you’re in London,
the Thames Discovery
Programme offers
hands-on experience. Visit
http://bit.ly/2gDu5pQBlast from the past: uncover
the history of the Thames,
whose foreshore is the UK’s
largest archaeological site‘