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What does it take to be an archaeologist? Excavation requires detailed work and a lot of patience!
Excavation requires detailed work and a lot of patience!
Chuck Said
Being an archaeologist combines a lot of different skills. First of all, it takes persistence because a lot of the work in archaeology is very slow. You might be out excavating ancient houses or temples. It sounds very glamorous, but you are digging up thousands of little pieces of pottery, stone, bone, and other objects. You have to record and draw everything, and then study each artifact carefully. It can be very hard work.

I think it also helps if you are the type of person who enjoys using the scientific skills of collecting and classifying data. In archaeology, this usually means counting and organizing objects into categories so you can analyze them.

It also takes imagination. You have to try to put yourself in the position of people who lived long ago, to project yourself back in time. You almost have to come up with a movie in your head of what could have happened to leave behind the remains you are excavating. You have to empathize with people who lived long ago that you will never meet. Sometimes, people who still live in the area can provide valuable clues about its history.