Archaeology as a Career Option for the Youth

Career Tips | December 16, 2011 | Share

Archaeology is one of the interesting career options for the modern generation. Archaeology is the science of studying human cultures through the recovery, analysis and documentation of material remains and environmental data like architecture, artifacts, features, landscapes and bio facts. It is a multidisciplinary field integrating knowledge of history, geography, and anthropology together with geology, chemistry, arts and literature.

The most basic requirement for a career in Archaeology is a passion for history and the civilizations and cultures of the past. The work of an archaeologist also requires an analytical and probing mind together with an acute sense of observation, thinking ability, accuracy and creativity. The work also involves a lot of patience and perseverance to carry out the various kinds of field tasks. A professional in this field has to spend several months at the excavation sites, discovering artifacts, cleaning and preserving them. An archaeologist needs to have information about the geographical, geological and anthropological conditions of the area where he or she conductshis or her work. In additionto that the knowledge of current and past languages of the regionis also beneficial.

Archaeology has various sub-disciplines likeArchaeometry, Dendrochronology, Isotope Analysis, Palynology, Radio Carbon Dating, Zoo Archaeology, GeoArchaeology,Computational Archaeology and Archaeogenetics.

Not many universities in India offer a bachelors degree in this discipline. However those that offer are U.C. College Aluva and St. Thomas College under the Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam;Banaras Hindu Universityand BarkatullaVishwaVidyalaya, Bhopal. A master degree in Archaeology is offered at several universities in the country. University of Allahabad, University of Aurangabad, University of Calcutta, University of Delhi along with VisvaBhartiShantiniketanare some of the institutions of the country offering archaeology

The Archaeological Survey of India provides a two year-Post Graduate Diploma in Archaeology for those who have completed an M.A. in Ancient/Medieval Indian History or an M.A./M.Sc in Archaeology with an aggregate of 55% and above. The Delhi Institute of Heritage Research & Management offers two special programs which comprise of Master in Heritage Research & Management and another postgraduate programme in Archeology and Heritage Management.

The beginning in this profession involves being a Field Technician whereby one is expected to travel as a free lancer excavating or conducting surveys. With some years of experience one can become a Project Archaeologist. A Project Archeologist writes proposals, budgets, supervises excavation and writes reports on the same.

Job opportunities include working in the state Archaeological Departments and the recruitments are done through the State Public Service Commission examination. Appointments to the Archaeological Survey of India are by means of the Union Public Service Commission examination. The National Museum in Delhi, the state museums and the National Trust for Art & Culture Heritage are some of the institutions, which employ archaeologists. Teaching in colleges and universities is another area where an archaeologist can find employment. Those with an M.A. degree can appear for the National Eligibility Test(NET) and The Junior Research Fellowship(JRF) examination conducted by the University Grants Commission. Those who qualify for JRF can study for a doctorate degree with a paid fellowship. The State Level Eligibility Test (SLET) allows successful candidates to teach in colleges and universities within the state.

In the initial levels as a field technician one can earn around Rs.8000 per month. In case of lecturers the salary ranges between Rs.15,000 toRs20,000 per month. Lecturers of readers grade and professors are paid even more. For those employed in the ASI and state archaeological departments the salary and perks are equivalent to those of Civil Servants. If one specializes as a museum curator one can be assures of government jobs where even though the salary may not be very high it comes with a lot of perks.

This profession is most suited for those who have a persevering personality because funds for these projects are often sporadic and it is important to remainpatient and not let the project be hampered due to lack of funds.

Arpita Roy