I’ve spent the last six weeks acquiring everything needed for the field project and on Friday I finally shipped it all to Fredericton. All together it weighed less than five hundred pounds, which was a happy surprise considering the size of the pile it made.
Included are our hand tools, screens, mapping instruments, notebooks, forms, camping equipment, and the hundreds of other items crucial to an archaeological dig. Out of all of it, I’m especially fond of the pots and pans, which I found amongst some old field gear when I first moved into my office. They’re enameled with a delightful pink floral pattern - which probably explains why they were never used.
The pile of field equipment outside of my office (the pots and pans are carefully hidden on the left).
Despite the size of the pile, this isn’t everything I’ll need. I’m borrowing shovels, screens, buckets and other tools from the University of New Brunswick and I have even more equipment stored in Halifax from previous field seasons. I hope it will all fit in the van I’m renting…
Gear packed and ready for shipping.
The moment your gear leaves for the field is always a relief; in this case it represents the culmination of more than a year of planning. At the same time, it comes with inevitable doubts. What did I forget? Did I choose the right tools for the project? Do I have enough tents for students? Will the crew all laugh at my pots and pans?
Over the next few weeks, I’ll answer all of these questions and more on this blog. Though I think we all know the answer to the last one.
[...] by matthewbetts Some of you may recall from a previous post that I included some colourful culinary equipment in my field gear. These items were so unique that [...]