Anabelle Ford insists that she has a split personality. But Ford isn't
a case study in psychology. She's an archeologist.
"To be an archeologist, you almost have to be two different people," says
Ford. "You have to love roughing it out of doors, living in rudimentary conditions
in remote areas, as well as being able to tolerate very [isolated] activities
indoors."
Not only do archeologists need to adapt to a variety of work environments,
but the field itself demands a broad range of knowledge.
"You need a diverse background. You have to be a biologist, a chemist,
a historian and a sociologist -- all in one," she says.
"It takes a Renaissance individual," agrees Brian Hayden, a university
archeology professor. "You have to know about bones and stones, psychology,
geology, [and] fixing things."
Hayden, whose areas of specialty include New World archeology, Old World
Paleolithic, and Australian and Southeast Asian prehistory, says that the
variety of areas he needs to learn about keep life interesting.
"Archeology keeps me growing on an intellectual basis, because it's constantly
throwing up challenges and new perspectives. It's been my life for the past
20 or so years."
Ford agrees that archeology is a demanding field, and like Hayden, she
is hopelessly addicted to the challenges it offers.
"There is nothing more thrilling than holding a tool made and used by your
ancestor of 30,000 years, and looking around to see where that ancestor slept,
held her children, and cooked the family's food."
The pieces of a 30,000-year-old puzzle don't come together quickly or easily.
Ford's most lasting passion is the ancient Mayan civilizations that existed
in what is now Guatemala. For eight months she lived in the Central American
country, working with a team of archeology students and local laborers. Her
grueling schedule would start at the crack of dawn and continue for most of
the day.
"In the morning we'd begin to work, excavating in the marked areas. When
each level or structure was complete, the area was drawn carefully, mapped,
photographed and field notes were completed. Then we'd start digging again
with anything from a teaspoon to hand pick and trowel, to pick-ax and shovel."
At the end of the day, Ford and her excavation team would return to their
home away from home -- pole-and-patch tents and fire-pits in the middle of
the jungle.
When doing fieldwork, Hayden plays the roles of archeologist,
teacher and mediator. "When I bring students on digs, there are often problems
with lifestyle compatibility. Some students like to let it all hang out, while
others are organized and structured. Those who want to maintain their manicures
don't often like it too much. It's almost an interesting sociological study
-- you're forced to stay with people day after day. I've tended to become
a little more careful over the years about who I take."
Students aren't the only pests he encounters during digs. "You deal with
flies, sunburn and you have to keep your ears open for things like bears.
One time a bear took the back off of my tent. People can also wander onto
the site. You have to chase them away too."
But like most archeologists, Hayden hasn't let the trials and tribulations
of fieldwork get him down.
"Some of my projects are very rewarding. The results are from years and
years of work. There's this one site I've been excavating -- it's a prehistoric
village with the remains of large houses. I've found a number of rituals involving
dogs and evidence of low- and high-class families living in the same houses.
To me it has been very intellectually exciting."
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. Fieldwork is often
short lived -- Hayden estimates that he only spends a third of his time on
digs.
"The great finds like King Tut's tomb and Incan gold are pretty, but they're
of much less value to anthropological knowledge than the information gathered
in painstaking, non-glamorous ways," Ford says.
"It's not glamorous at all," agrees Hayden. "In fact, it's pretty routine.
But the ability to engage in fieldwork, and investigate the kinds of problems
I find interesting, is a gift."