Meet our 2023-2024 Placement Students!

Claire

Meet Claire, excited to have a go at everything but especially public engagement!

What archaeological experience do you have?

Through each new excavation I did, I slowly stepped further out into the world. After doing a field school in East Sussex, I went for a month-long season in a tiny town in the north of Greece, digging a Neolithic tell site. From there I jumped even further and found myself in a prehistoric cave site set in Palawan, Philippines. Every excavation not only showed me a new hidden piece of human history that I hadn’t seen before but also connected me to the local communities and their stories.

Do you have a favourite period/artefact type/archaeological specialism?

I believe I am most drawn to stories found in Pacific Islands and South-East Asia which is where my family is from. There is so much unknown there, such as in the Philippines where the effects of colonialization show in forgotten pasts. To be able to know the stories of the people who lived in pre-colonial times as well as forgotten tales of ordinary people could help rewrite and undermine the colonial narrative that is currently in place. That being said, I love connecting with communities and engaging in public archaeology so that what we do adds to the local understanding of the landscape and helps excite people about their local heritage. Furthermore, I enjoy the social media outreach side of archaeology, finding creative and engaging ways to tell stories about what we do as well as find!

What are you looking forward to about your placement?

I think I’m most excited to have a better understanding about the archaeological world. All the individual processes as well as the people who make up the company. It’s an amazing opportunity to just have a go at everything and anything!

What do you hope to get out of your placement?

I hope to walk out of this placement with a better idea of where I stand in the heritage sector. To see if commercial archaeology could be my calling or perhaps something else! Keeping an open mind as I see where the year leads me.

Galahad

Meet Galahad, who’s interested in Neolithic Western Europe and landscape archaeology!

What archaeological experience do you have?

My archaeological experience so far has been a research excavation and two survey projects, one of which took place over three weeks on Chios, a Greek island.

Do you have a favourite period/artefact type/archaeological specialism?

For me the Neolithic period in Western Europe is home to my main interests. I would say that anything relating to the greater Neolithic landscape as well as anything lithic peak my archaeological interests. However, I’d also say that my interests follow a trail of human culture and its impact of landscapes, so anything anywhere older than written history is of interest to me really.

What are you looking forward to about your placement?

What I was most looking forward to about this placement year is the variation of sites I will be exposed to around the South East where I grew up and where my archaeological interests lie. Since I was a kid I have enjoyed getting my hands muddy, getting to combine this with archaeological excavation should be fun.

What do you hope to get out of your placement?

From this placement year I’m hoping to get the experience that will not just start my career in archaeology but also give me an advantage in hopefully finding and specialising in something specific in the future. At the moment that would be landscape archaeology but I’m also fully expecting my interests to develop over the coming year.

Solomon

Meet Solomon, who has a particular interest in computational archaeology like GIS.

What archaeological experience do you have?

Over the last 2 years I have been on three excavations and two survey projects. The first two excavations I was involved with took place in West Sussex with the most notable being the first season of investigation for a Roman temple. Recently, I went to a project in Turkmenistan, the site was a medieval town, complete with a mosque. This summer’s survey project I took part in took place on the Greek island of Chios, and involved field walking and the recording of surface finds. 

Do you have a favourite period/artefact type/archaeological specialism?

I am quite open about the period I study. However, I have always been interested in ancient Mesopotamia. This interest has recently developed into research about, and a potential dissertation topic relating to, the threats that cultural heritage faces in Iraq. I wouldn’t say I have a favourite artefact type; however, I was fortunate to come across two Roman coins whilst on my first excavation which was very exciting. I’ve since kept a reserved interest for numismatics.  In terms of specialism, I am interested in the computational side of archaeology. I was able to take part in a photogrammetry project whilst in Greece and am currently teaching myself how to use GIS software. 

What are you looking forward to about your placement? 

The idea of spending time away from home, to somewhere I’ve probably never visited before seems like a holiday. I love life in the field and therefore will enjoy being on different excavations throughout the year.

What do you hope to get out of your placement?

I hope to master the fundamentals of archaeological fieldwork whilst on my placement year at ASE. To learn and gain experience in the specialisms that I am interested in appeals to me, but to also broaden my horizons and keep an open mind when trying my hand at other niches will be invaluable.

Tasnima

Meet Tasnima, who likes animal bone analysis and ‘shiny things’ – who doesn’t?!

What archaeological experience do you have?

I have worked on a multi-period site (Neolithic, Iron Age and Roman) in West Sussex, where besides excavating ditches and post holes, I gained experience in section drawing, helping to produce drawings of all the features on site. 
I was also fortunate to spend 5 weeks on a 10th-12th century Islamic site in Turkmenistan, where I became familiar with archaeological photography and illustration, finds processing and surveying, and became accustomed to excavating in a desert climate. 

Do you have a favourite period/ artefact type/ archaeological specialism?

I’m yet to find a period I don’t enjoy, but my favourite so far is the Islamic period between the 7th - 15th centuries, and I hope to continue exploring and expanding my knowledge of this area. I do like ‘shiny things,’ but I haven’t been lucky enough to find any particularly spectacular metal artefacts. I did, however, come across a lovely green glazed oil lamp that was mostly intact, so ceramics may grow on me over time! My favourite specialism so far is zooarchaeology. Being able to identify fragments of bones and pinpoint their species is quite satisfying, albeit challenging, but I look forward to becoming better at doing so, as identifying animals present on an archaeological site can provide a better insight into the lifestyles of people who occupied the site.

What are you looking forward to about your placement?

I am looking forward to gaining experience in various aspects within a commercial archaeology unit, meeting new people in archaeology, and in working on a range of archaeological sites across the south-east. 

What do you hope to get out of your placement?

I am hoping to advance my fieldwork and post-excavation skills and knowledge and become more confident and efficient in carrying out a range of tasks both in and out of the field, particularly in areas such as lithics and surveying, which I do not yet enjoy!