Alan's Rules for Working in Archaeology
In order to qualify the rules have to be serious, useful and helpful to working practice:
Never sleep in a tent unless you're paid a huge amount or nothing at all.
Always keep receipts.
Be on time.
Take more photographs than are necessary to record the archaeology.
Carry business cards – hand them out.
Health and Safety is there to protect others – you protect yourself.
Never drive the van overloaded.
Always check the wear and tear on a new hire van – especially the tires.
Clients always think that they are over charged – expect this – deal with it.
Take all the tools you think you'll need and then some – you'll forget something.
Take more clothes away than you think you'll need – jobs run over time.
Keep warm as possible.
Keep dry as possible.
Hi-viz coats are cheap, warm and keep the rain off.
Never wear jogging bottoms on site.
Understand why things are recorded – it is not enough to apply a formula.
Carry a trowel.
Timesheets!
Read stuff before you sign it.
Be polite and conversational to the public – avoid speaking about details or telling lies.
Remember you are paid to be an archaeologist – avoid jobs like laying drainage, gardening and labouring while on site.
Carry something to read.
Remember you work for the client: Looking out for the clients interests should not seriously compromise the archaeology – this balance is your job.
Avoid lies there is usually a version of the truth that works just as well.
Carry a lighter.
Deal with the archaeology calmly, measure the scale of the problem. Clients will tend to overestimate the significance of archaeology on site.
A large error which is measurable is better than a small error which is not.
Understand the acceptable margin of error in each recording method.
Where possible demand communication from clients and other parties in writing.
More is not always more sometimes too much is less.
Remember - whatever you tell the police about human remains, they will believe.
Don't apologise – it is a sign of liability.
Avoid simply asking for the solution to a problem – think up a solution and ask if it is correct.
You can never explain things simply enough or check enough times.
You never know the scale of the problem until you've dug the site.
Never presume you'll have another opportunity to sample or photograph.
There may be many more.
