Archeologists
Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics > Science and MathematicsProjected Growth: Faster than average
Projected Job Openings
Extensive Preparation Needed
Job Description
Your job is to Conduct research to reconstruct record of past human life and culture from human remains, artifacts, architectural features, and structures recovered through excavation, underwater recovery, or other means of discovery.
Common job titles of Archeologists include:
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Experience and Education
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
48.48% said they needed a Doctoral Degree.
42.42% said they needed a Master's Degree.
Tasks
Study objects and structures recovered by excavation to identify, date, and authenticate them and to interpret their significance.
Teach archeology at colleges and universities.
Describe artifacts' physical properties or attributes, such as the materials from which artifacts are made and their size, shape, function, and decoration.
Consult site reports, existing artifacts, and topographic maps to identify archeological sites.
Research, survey, or assess sites of past societies and cultures in search of answers to specific research questions.
Present findings from archeological research to peers and the general public.
Clean, restore, and preserve artifacts.
Collect artifacts made of stone, bone, metal, and other materials, placing them in bags and marking them to show where they were found.
Assess archeological sites for resource management, development, or conservation purposes and recommend methods for site protection.
Record the exact locations and conditions of artifacts uncovered in diggings or surveys, using drawings and photographs as necessary.
Create a grid of each site and draw and update maps of unit profiles, stratum surfaces, features, and findings.
Develop and test theories concerning the origin and development of past cultures.
Compare findings from one site with archeological data from other sites to find similarities or differences.
Write, present, and publish reports that record site history, methodology, and artifact analysis results, along with recommendations for conserving and interpreting findings.
Lead field training sites and train field staff, students, and volunteers in excavation methods.
Create artifact typologies to organize and make sense of past material cultures.
Tools
X ray fluorescence XRF spectrometers
X ray diffractometers
Water screening devices
Vernier calipers
Vacuum freeze-drying chambers
Underwater still cameras
Underwater digital cameras
All ToolsUltrasonic cleaning machines
Triple beam balances
Tree ring sampling kits
Total stations
Theodolites
Tablet computers
Stereo zoom microscopes
Soil samplers
Soil probes
Slide scanners
Slide hammers
Side scan sonars
Shaker screens
Scuba diving equipment
Scanning electron microscopes SEM
Sandblasters
Safety goggles
Round point shovels
Rock picks
Precision rulers
Polarizing microscopes
Pocket loupes
Pneumatic chisels
Pneumatic airscribes
Plumb bobs
Plotters
Platform scales
Plains trowels
Petrographic microscopes
Personal digital assistants PDA
Personal computers
Metallurgical microscopes
Metal detectors
Mesh sifting screens
Marshalltown trowels
Magnetic stirring bars
Lufkin tape measures
Laser line levels
Laptop computers
Laboratory scalpels
Laboratory precision balances
Inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopes ICP-MS
Inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopes ICP-ES
Hydraulic drilling rigs
Ground penetrating radar GPR
Global positioning system GPS receivers
Glass burets
Glass beakers
Geophysical magnetometers
Fume hoods
Flatbed scanners
Flat-ended shovels
Electron microprobes
Electrical resistivity instruments
Drying racks
Drying ovens
Directional compasses
Digital video cameras
Digital levels
Digital cameras
Digital calipers
Dial calipers
Desktop computers
Dental picks
Dental burs
Crack hammers
Conductivity probes
Conductance meters
Cold chisels
Bucket augers
Binoculars
Bench scales
Alidades
35 millimeter cameras
Technologies
Geographic information system GIS software
IBM SPSS Statistics
Archeological Sites Management Information System ASMIS
Automated National Catalog System ANCS
ESRI ArcView
Golden Software Surfer
Leica Geosystems ERDAS IMAGINE
All TechnologiesTrimble Pathfinder Office
Skills
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Science
Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Learning Strategies
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Instructing
Teaching others how to do something.
Mathematics
Using mathematics to solve problems.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Systems Analysis
Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Systems Evaluation
Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Management of Personnel Resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Persuasion
Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Abilities
Read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Cognitive Abilities › Verbal Abilities › Written Comprehension
Communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Cognitive Abilities › Verbal Abilities › Oral Expression
Communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Cognitive Abilities › Verbal Abilities › Written Expression
Listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Cognitive Abilities › Verbal Abilities › Oral Comprehension
Apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Cognitive Abilities › Idea Generation and Reasoning Abilities › Deductive Reasoning
Combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Cognitive Abilities › Idea Generation and Reasoning Abilities › Inductive Reasoning
Arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Cognitive Abilities › Idea Generation and Reasoning Abilities › Information Ordering
Speak clearly so others can understand you.
Auditory and Speech Abilities › Sensory Abilities › Speech Clarity
Come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Cognitive Abilities › Idea Generation and Reasoning Abilities › Fluency of Ideas
Generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Cognitive Abilities › Idea Generation and Reasoning Abilities › Category Flexibility
Identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
Cognitive Abilities › Perceptual Abilities › Flexibility of Closure
See details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Sensory Abilities › Visual Abilities › Near Vision
Come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
Cognitive Abilities › Idea Generation and Reasoning Abilities › Originality
Tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Cognitive Abilities › Idea Generation and Reasoning Abilities › Problem Sensitivity
See details at a distance.
Sensory Abilities › Visual Abilities › Far Vision