Archaeology is the study of human history and prehistory through the excavation of sites and the careful analysis of material culture. This profession focuses on the systematic, scientific process of uncovering and interpreting physical evidence. This article details the archaeologist’s job, including work environments, core tasks, required education, and career outlook.
Defining Archaeology as a Profession
Archaeology is an anthropological science dedicated to interpreting past human behavior and culture through material remains. Archaeologists use the scientific method, developing testable hypotheses about past societies and gathering data to evaluate those ideas. Archaeology is distinct from paleontology, which focuses on ancient life through the fossil record. While history relies on written records, archaeology provides a lens for the vast majority of human existence that occurred before writing systems. For historical periods, archaeology supplements written accounts by illuminating the daily lives of people.
Primary Work Environments
An archaeologist’s daily activities are determined by the sector of employment, with three main environments dominating the profession. Cultural Resource Management (CRM) is the largest employer in the United States, driven by federal legislation mandating the consideration of historical sites before construction. CRM firms conduct surveys and excavations to ensure compliance with laws like the National Historic Preservation Act, working as consultants to developers and government agencies.
Academic roles are centered in universities, balancing teaching with independent research. These positions involve mentoring students, securing grant funding, and conducting long-term fieldwork leading to scholarly publications.
Government and museum roles involve working for state or federal agencies, such as the National Park Service, focusing on the curation of collections, public outreach, and heritage preservation policy.
Core Methodologies and Daily Tasks
Archaeological work follows a sequential process of investigation, moving from locating a site to interpreting the recovered evidence. The process is meticulously planned and executed, ensuring that excavation is justified by the recovery of detailed information. The work is divided into three major phases: fieldwork, laboratory analysis, and final reporting.
Fieldwork and Excavation
Fieldwork begins with reconnaissance and survey, involving systematically walking a landscape to identify and record sites, often using surface collection. This phase incorporates remote sensing technologies, such as ground-penetrating radar, to map subsurface features without disturbance. Controlled excavation involves the careful removal of soil layers, or strata, to expose features and recover artifacts in their original context. Systematic data recording is the most time-intensive aspect, requiring detailed field notes, scale maps, and photography before physical evidence is removed.
Laboratory Analysis and Curation
After fieldwork, recovered material is transported to a laboratory for processing. This phase involves cleaning, sorting, and permanently cataloging every artifact using unique identification numbers. Specialized dating techniques, such as radiocarbon dating, establish a chronological framework for the site. Analysts study specific material types, such as lithics (stone tools), ceramics, or faunal remains (animal bones), to gain insights into past technology, trade, and diet. Curation ensures that all recovered artifacts, samples, and documentation are properly preserved and stored in permanent repositories for future researchers.
Research and Reporting
The goal of archaeological work is interpretation and the dissemination of new knowledge. This involves comprehensive research, where the archaeologist synthesizes contextual field data with laboratory analyses. In the CRM sector, this synthesis culminates in extensive technical reports that satisfy regulatory requirements. Academic archaeologists publish findings in peer-reviewed journals and books, contributing new theories and data to advance the understanding of human history.
Specialized Fields of Study
Archaeology offers a wide array of career paths, as professionals often specialize in a particular time period, geographic region, or type of material.
Historical Archaeology focuses on the material culture of the past few centuries, often combining excavation data with written records.
Classical Archaeology investigates the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations, including their architecture and trade networks.
Bioarchaeologists analyze skeletal material to reconstruct details about ancient diet, disease, and migration patterns.
Zooarchaeology involves the study of animal bones recovered from sites, providing data on past hunting practices and environmental conditions.
Underwater Archaeology focuses on submerged sites, such as shipwrecks, requiring specialized diving and remote sensing techniques.
Education and Skills Required
The path to becoming a professional archaeologist begins with a Bachelor of Arts or Science degree in Anthropology or Archaeology, sufficient for entry-level field technician positions. A Master of Arts or Science degree is required for project management roles, such as Project Archaeologist or Principal Investigator within the CRM sector, involving report writing and regulatory compliance. A Doctor of Philosophy degree is the standard requirement for academic positions involving independent research and university-level teaching.
Academic training mandates a field school, providing intensive, hands-on experience in excavation and data recovery techniques. Beyond formal education, the work demands strong transferable skills, including technical writing for reports and grant proposals. Spatial reasoning is necessary for mapping sites using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and the physically demanding nature of fieldwork requires strong teamwork and physical endurance.
Career Outlook and Compensation
The job market for archaeologists is stable, with the median annual wage reported around $64,910. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment growth at about 4 percent, comparable to the average for all occupations. While academic positions are competitive, the CRM sector offers the most reliable employment opportunities.
Compensation varies significantly between sectors. Entry-level field technicians in CRM typically earn a lower hourly wage, often involving travel and seasonal work. Experienced CRM project managers with a master’s degree can see salaries rise substantially, sometimes exceeding $100,000 annually, due to high demand for qualified personnel. Government and museum roles generally offer competitive salaries and benefits, falling between the typical CRM and academic pay scales.