So in the 1920s L. Woolley had excavated a site and found 5 boards for what we now call the Royal Game of Ur. I simply want to know what happened to the boards/where they could possibly be now, so if anyone knows anything or can point me in some direction I would appreciate it greatly. I have been trying to find an answer to this question for quite a while now but i cannot find a single thing even regarding the topic, only stuff talking about the game, which im already a little familiar with. TIA!

I have quite an interest in archeology, the history involved and the techniques and work done to understand what finds mean. But the research I have done into archeology as a degree and as a career have heavily discouraged me from pursuing this as a degree and later career, such as low pay to most work seemingly being CRM before a road or something is built. For those who either have an interest in archeology/anthropology and either choose a different path or later changed careers, what jobs or fields did you choose? And is there anything else out there that is like archeology and still a "viable" career.

Good morning all!

(This is a non direct question, so I'm sorry in advance if not allowed)

So, my girlfriend is an archaeologist and specifically studied Aegean civilisation with a love for Cycladic civilization, but also Minoan and Mycenean. I want to give her a gift, kinda like a rare book (signed if possible), a special gravure, something, but I am in complete ignorance.

Could you please give me any ideas or a site to look at? I would also love title recommendations of any sort.

Thank you in advance

Hey yall,

After concluding 2 years of work in excavation management using the most broken, unintuitive piece of software my company managed to produce, I was curious what other people from other countries were using to manage+record their excavations? In my company we use a local, internally developed data recording+management program (developed on Filemaker, another program was developed using Microsoft Access), working on a laptop in the field. What about you guys? Do you use laptops or tablets? Are you using some commercially available software or something your company developed? Is there even a commercially available excavation management program out there? The piece of garbage were using has left me traumatized enough to want to use my old and forgotten software development skills to make something better that is not based on neither Microsoft Access nor Filemaker (if nothing similar exists). If I were to make such a program, what kind of features would you like to see in it?

Hey guys,

are there any job opportunities for someone with degrees in Computer Science (and Mathematics)?
I can imagine that assessing Lidar data requires knowledge in these fields since the technology produces a ton of geometric data/a dense point cloud where the appropriate features have to be extracted—but in general I am clueless. Maybe the tools are already developed and there is no need in the first place (for Lidar related tasks)
.
My question is not Lidar specific, it serves as an example. I guess technology is expanding in Archaeology as in any other field, so „a guy with programming experience“ might be in demand in general.

So when bringing up the topic of different jobs in archaeology. Federal/state work is normally brought up as the most career fulfilling/stable because you get good pay, stability, federal benefits, and a pension. Which if you want a more settled or family life, or getting older seems the ticket. Yet quite a few archaeologists seem hesitant to take that path vs staying in CRM, and the consensus seems to be because you're digging a fraction of the time compared to CRM and the reason a lot of people get into archaeology is to dig. Has this been the case with y'all?

Does anyone here have experience with archaeology or CRM work in Spain? Is it similar in scope and application to what CRM is like in the USA or are there major differences? Is it all private company based (ie. Tempos, DOMUS, etc.) or are there public entities that allow for survey, excavation, monitoring, permitting process, etc.? Are government positions a thing over there similar to the BLM, NPS, USDA, etc.? Any information is appreciated.

Hello all, I am a current undergrad student, majoring in Anthropology, my focus is archaeology while I am interested in bio or forensic I wholly enjoy the entire field. I am specifically interested in Roman and ancient era, but again love all history and the field in general. My goal is to try and move out of the US either for grad or a job after grad school, is this something attainable? How would I start to go about this?

/s, I love LiDAR

But I just want to say I think it's funny that about every 18 months or so there is a viral news story about how "Archaeologists have discovered lost _______ by shooting lasers at the ground from planes!", when this technology has been around for over a half-century. I remember seeing popular documentaries on Central and South American LiDAR projects as a kid like 20+ years ago.

Of course new discoveries are always exciting, I'm glad people are hearing about it. I get that news media is profit driven and the general public is out of touch with current scientific research in almost any given field. But LiDAR is pretty common & basic tool at this point, and there are so many exciting new tech innovations happening in archaeology that the public is even more clueless about (archaeomaterials, ancient DNA recover & genomics, underwater arch., etc). I know these things get write-ups too but my non-anthro friends and family seem to never hear about them, just perpetually discovering the jungle lasers haha.

Can someone please share the book “Treasures of Gupta Empire” by Sanjeev Kumar

BBC News - What do we know about UK's largest Bronze Age find at Must Farm? - BBC News https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx8q32rj2yjo

Hey everyone, here are this week's Top 5 ancient headlines:

• Archaeologists Reveal Hundreds of Ancient Monuments Using LiDAR — A recent LiDAR survey in Baltinglass, Ireland, known as 'Ireland's Hillfort Capital', uncovered hundreds of ancient sites previously erased by centuries of plowing. The sites include a significant cluster of five cursus monuments, the largest found in Britain and Ireland, suggesting these structures might have had ritual significance or astronomical alignments with solar events, potentially marking ceremonial routes for ancestral veneration.

• Early Humans Spread as Far North as Siberia 400,000 Years Ago — Archaeological findings in Siberia's Diring Yuriakh site suggest that early humans inhabited this area around 417,000 years ago, a significant adjustment to previous theories. This location now stands as the most ancient site known for early human habitation in such northern latitudes, pushing back the timeline for human migration into Arctic regions by nearly 400,000 years (from 45,000 years ago). The discovery opens up possibilities regarding the paths early humans may have taken into other continents, as well as how long ago humans crossed over to North America.

• Social Decline and Genetic Diversity of the Y Chromosome — A study of 20 years’ worth of anthropological data, primarily in Asia, indicated that the significant decline in the genetic diversity of the Y chromosome 3,000-5,000 years ago was not due to men dying in battle as had previously been theorized. The reduced diversity is actually due to societal changes like the emergence of patrilineal social systems. This led to fewer fathers, but more offspring, establishing a "founder effect" in genetic terms. Another example is the splitting of clans into subclans. These societal changes profoundly shaped the genetic landscape of modern human populations, pointing to a crucial period where social structures and practices influenced genetic evolution.

• Carbonized Herculaneum Papyrus Reveals Burial Place of Plato — A recent analysis of a carbonized papyrus scroll from Herculaneum, an ancient Roman town, has uncovered significant details about Plato's burial. The scroll, deciphered through modern imaging techniques, contains about 3,000 words, 1,000 of which were readable. It offers insights into Plato's Platonic Academy, his enslavement by the Spartans, and his burial in a private garden near the Museion in Athens.

• 1,700-Year-Old Roman Ruins Discovered Atop Much Older Neolithic Sacred Spring — If you’ve been reading the Beat for a while, you know I love the topic of springs. Well, near Limoges, France, archaeologists have discovered Roman ruins from the 3rd century CE, built over a Neolithic sacred spring dating back 4,500 to 6,000 years. From Roman times, the site features a landscaped pool, a protective granite wall, and artifacts including coins and ceramic representations of deities. But the Neolithic is also in the mix thanks to flint offerings, including a dagger fragment. The find highlights the spring's long-term spiritual significance, from Neolithic worship to Roman occupation.

Hope you enjoyed this abridged version of Ancient Beat. Have a great weekend!

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/dentist-discovers-human-like-jawbone-and-teeth-in-a-floor-tile-at-his-parents-home-180984210/

I'm applying for CRM jobs and I've run into a bit of an issue. I've gotten callbacks from some larger CRM companies, but I've heard varying things about their ethics. My main concern is a company's standing with First Nations. For instance on company I have an interview for has a bad reputation, but one of my friends who works there said that they've been making amends. I can't find any sources for or against this company specifically, it's basically all hearsay. I need a job so I don't want to turn it down based on that, but I also want to feel good about my work and I don't know if I can do that if I don't have the full picture. So how can you vet whether or not a CRM firm is actually doing good work?

This question is more so directed toward North American archaeology but I’d also be interested to hear any info on other parts of the world. Are there any documented sites where tools with a datable typology were found on the same stratigraphic layer as tools from a later period? I’m only asking because it’s quite common for people nowadays to find projectile points and other stone tools. Although we definitely move more earth generally than the Native Americans did, they still had to stumble on stone tools that predated their own by sometimes hundreds or thousands of years. Does anyone know of any instances such as I mentioned earlier that don’t seem so be the result of erosion and other natural processes?

I am currently student in Europe majoring in Business in one year I will have my BA degree. Throughout all my life I wanted to do archeology. Because the country where I am from is Uzbekistan very archaeologically reach. I have already read about the major challenges of jobs in the field. However I still want to try switch my focus from Business to archaeology, Thus I am seeking for the advice. Can I really enter MA in archeology after BA in Business? What are the major universities in USA that offer good MA programs?