Adventure hackers

Digging the past

| A DV E N T U R E

H AC K E R S |

SO YOU
WANT TO
BE INDIANA
JONES?
Archaeology can it really be all
about exotic destinations and clever
detective work? Yes, if youre an
Egyptologist. We track down a Raider
of the Lost Ark and find out how
to get started unearthing the past

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t the age of three, before she could even read,

Joann Fletcher was fascinated by ancient
Egypt. At nursery school she sketched
Egyptian gods in DayGlo wax crayons, then,
when she was six, the Tutankhamun exhibition came to the
British Museum in London and her fate was sealed.
In 1972, Tutankhamun was everywhere and I didnt talk
about much else, says Fletcher, who is now an Egyptologist
and honorary visiting professor in the Department of
Archaeology at the University of York. My Mum told me it was
possible to get a job as an Egyptologist, so from then on that
was what I was going to be, she says.
Fletcher went on to take A levels at her local sixth-form
college, then applied to University College London (UCL) to
take the best Egyptology course ever. She remembers going
for her interview, aged 17, and saying: If you dont accept me
this time, Ill just keep coming back.
Luckily, she was offered a place on UCLs degree in Ancient
History and Egyptology, which she completed in 1987. She
went on to take a PhD at the University of Manchester, then
become a self-employed Egyptologist and began working
with the University of York. While there, she co-founded
the Mummy Research Group. Im the luckiest person on the
planet, I really enjoy what I do, she says.
A specialist in ancient Egyptian hair, nails and soft tissue,
Fletcher often goes into the field to advise on mummified
human remains. Over the years, she has made numerous
visits to Egypts Valley of the Kings: in 2003 she helped to
identify three mummies that had been discovered in 1898.
Her controversial theory, that one of the bodies could be of
the female pharaoh Nefertiti, is now becoming more accepted.
As well as being involved in fieldwork, museum curation,
laboratory analysis and teaching, Fletcher has written many
scientific articles and appeared in numerous documentaries,
including the recent BBC series Immortal Egypt with Joann
Fletcher, which she wrote and presented, and Mummifying
Alan: Egypts Last Secret, which showed how to mummify the
donated body of taxi driver Alan Billis.
Being an Egyptologist doesnt just take her to Egypt,
however. Fletcher has also studied remains in Yemen,

GET IN TOUCH WITH PAST LIVES

GO DIGGING
Anyone can apply to get practical,

BECOME A CITIZEN
ARCHAEOLOGIST

hands-on experience of the

Want to volunteer? The Museum

archaeology on their own doorstep

of London Archaeologys CITiZAN

with the University of Cambridges

project needs help with recording

Access Cambridge Archaeology

the fascinating history of the UKs

unit. Theyve run digs recently at

more than 6,500 miles of coastline.

Peterborough Cathedral and along

The first step is to sign up at:

the Suffolk Heritage Coast from

http://bit.ly/2frJKqu You can then

Covehithe to Felixstowe. If youd

monitor and record coastal and

like to get to grips with the past

intertidal archaeological sites using

alongside the universitys experts,

a web-based system, and attend

visit: access.arch.cam.ac.uk

guided walks and lectures.

074 /

/ JANUARY 2017

After seeing Tutankhamuns

golden death mask (above)
aged six, Joann Fletcher
(right) knew that she wanted
to be an Egyptologist

Adventure hackers
Digging the past

Fletcher (left and below)

frequently visits Egypt
to advise on finds

WANT TO WALK
IN ANCIENT
FOOTSTEPS?
The traditional route is
to study for a degree in
archaeology or a related
subject, such as ancient
history. Several British
universities offer them,
including the University
of York, Bournemouth
University, SOAS
University of London,
University of East
Anglia, the University of
Aberdeen and Bangor
University.
Courses can be artsoriented (for example,
Bangor Universitys
BA in Archaeology, run
out of the School of
History, Welsh History
and Archaeology) or
more science-based
(for example, the BSc
in Archaeology at the
University of Aberdeens
School of Engineering and
Physical Sciences).
If youre not sure
whether a degree is for
Italy and the Canary Islands. Egyptian
Best bit: The Nefertiti Project. It led to
you, try volunteering
mummification was so influential that
the realisation that we didnt actually
first. If youre under 17,
various other cultures adopted it, she
understand how mummification had
you can join the Council
explains. Im often invited out to study
been carried out during ancient Egypts
of British Archaeologys
both newly excavated remains or those
Golden Age. That, in turn, led to the
Young Archaeologists
Club.
There
are
about
70
that have been held for many years within
mummification of human body donor
branches across the UK
museum collections.
Alan Billis. The project was filmed as part
and the Council also holds
One job in Turin, Italy, involved studying
of a Channel 4 documentary, for which we
an annual festival. Events
a pair of mummified knees thought to
won a BAFTA and several other awards.
for all ages will take place
belong to Nefertari, the favourite wife of
I just couldnt believe it. Since then, 17
from 15-30 July 2017.
famed pharaoh Rameses II. Nefertari is
Visit archaeologyuk.org
people have emailed to ask if they can
depicted on many monuments but her
donate their bodies for the purpose of
tomb was robbed in antiquity. Fletchers
archaeological research.
task was to help ascertain whether the
Worst bit: The elitism that still exists in
knees were all that remained of the fabled Egyptian beauty.
some areas of archaeology. I heard one academic say, Oh,
Surprisingly, her most recent project brought her close to
shes from Barnsley, is she? as if my accent meant that I had
her Yorkshire roots. An Egyptology collection, including a gold
a low IQ. But it just makes you work all the harder. Im very
face mask of stunning quality, had come to light in Wigan
proud of where I come from.
Museum, Greater Manchester. I was absolutely blown away,
Handy hint: Become a specialist in one part of your particular
she says. I often tell my students that not everything is found
subject area and learn an additional language or two, so you
in Egypt. A lot is much closer to home.
can read a wider range of academic papers.

Adventure hackers
Digging the past

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 history

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.

Careers advisers dont 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. Ive always been interested in history, but Id
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
Archaeologys (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
CLAIRES TOP TIPS
gives you a connection and its a
FOR WANNABE
real part of puzzling out the past.
ARCHAEOLOGISTS

Join in with digs going on in

your area to find out more,
visit new.archaeologyuk.org/
If youre in London,
the Thames Discovery
Programme offers
hands-on experience. Visit
http://bit.ly/2gDu5pQ

Best bit You meet so many

people of all ages from all sorts
of different backgrounds but
youve got something in common;
a deep interest in your local area.
Worst bit The early starts!

WHEN YOU DO
ARCHAEOLOGY YOU
GET YOUR HANDS
DIRTY AND DO
PHYSICAL WORK
Its 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 youve got the
artefact, its 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,

Blast from the past: uncover

the history of the Thames,
whose foreshore is the UKs
largest archaeological site

who recently attended a dig

at Peterborough Cathedral
organised by Access
Cambridge Archaeology.

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