Work experience at Lees Court Estate
By Ella Reid
I am an aspiring archaeologist from the Shetland Islands (an archipelago in the north of Scotland) named Ella. I have wanted to be an archaeologist since I was young. This year I’ve gained some valuable work experience with the Kent Archaeological Society, and later this year, I will study archaeology at the University of Aberdeen.
What I expected from this experience was to learn new skills and archaeological techniques and expand my knowledge of British archaeology. When I arrived on site, my first impression was that I found the archaeology fascinating, and I couldn’t wait to start. Also, the people working there were friendly and helpful.
Throughout the week, I worked mainly on a trench where we had found part of a Neolithic ditch (part of a round barrow burial mound), with a collection of in-situ flint chips and flakes found at the bottom of the ditch. Another skill I learned during my work experience was recording trenches as we photographed the ditch trench at various stages. During the week, a few primary schools visited the site, and I helped supervise the children.
Later in the week, I was shown how to record trenches using the super-accurate GPS. This was a valuable skill to learn as I know technology’s growing influence on archaeology. Later in the week, I was shown how to draw and record soil sections, an essential skill for an archaeologist.
I found my experience very beneficial as I had the opportunity to build new skills in archaeological techniques; this experience will be very valuable in my future career in archaeology. Previously I have mainly excavated in iron age sites in Shetland; here, many of our archaeological sites are Pictish, so it was great to expand my horizons and learn about not only a different time period – the Neolithic – but also a different geographical area.
Overall, I very much enjoyed my work experience with the Kent archaeological society and found that this was a very valuable experience.