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Archaeology Dig is Hard Work, but Fun Takashi Shii from Japan
However, I was anxious to work there because I had been taking an anthropology class at my college. I was fascinated by the idea of excavating underground and inferring human behavior from artifacts, which is the most interesting and fantastic part of the job for archaeologists. I began to work at the archaeological site in Kiyotake around the beginning of January, 1996. Honestly speaking, I had expected that I would do something like real archaeologists do before I went there; however, I was just digging in the ground and carrying lots and lots of soil for the first month. I still can't forget the great moment when I found a piece of ancient pottery for the first time. It was beyond description. I was wiped out all the time after a day of work; however, the work was fun for me even though I sometimes injured my eyes because of the dust or acid sand blown by strong winds. After some time had passed and we had excacated to a certain depth, my supervisor asked me to help him draw the old site. I had to record what kinds of objects we found and the height of their existence on a sheet of paper. From February on, my friends and I had to carefully get rid of dust or sand on the many artifacts which we had found. We were not allowed to brush them as we had to make sure not to injure their surfaces. I guess we had to wash approximately 3 or 4 thousand artifacts. I was astonished to discover that there were many kinds of designs on the pottery which could not be seen because of the dust and sand on the artifacts. During my archaeological work, I sometimes had muscle problems in my shoulders and legs; however, it was a delight to feel what archaeology was by doing the work with my own hands. It is well said that "seeing is believing". I hope I can use the experience of my archaeology class in my third year of college.
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