Excavation technician

Excavation technicians (also excavation engineers, former excavation masters or restorers on excavations (in the GDR )) are specially trained specialists on archaeological and , more rarely, on paleontological excavations . You are employed by a monument authority or cantonal archeology, at teaching and research institutes , at private excavation companies or as a freelancer .

Excavation technician in the documentation work

job profile

The work of the excavation technician consists primarily of the technical management of archaeological excavations or individual sections thereof. You are active in the field of monument preservation as well as in archaeological research . As a project manager, you are responsible for the preparation, implementation and monitoring of archaeological excavations as well as for the archival processing of the documentation, finds and scientific samples. In close cooperation with the scientific excavation management, you will technically implement the given questions. The focus of the activity is the definition of the excavation method and strategy, the excavation survey, the excavation documentation in written, graphic and photographic form as well as the proper salvage of found material. There is currently a change from manual documentation methods to digital processes and the associated shortening of the field work in favor of a complex post-processing of the digital data. A work focus that has recently become increasingly important is the collection and provision of archaeological geodata , which forms the scientific and data-technical basis for geographic information systems ( GIS ).

Excavation technicians work independently, alone or in teams, often outdoors, in all seasons and weather conditions. Your great responsibility arises from the fact that every excavation leads to the destruction of the archaeological site concerned. In addition to the manual and technical prerequisites, this requires broad archaeological background knowledge. Both together can only be achieved through years of experience.

Training

Germany

In Germany two educational paths lead to excavation technicians, which are generally classified as equivalent.

academic education

It is possible to study excavation technology at the Berlin University of Technology and Economics (HTW). The former diploma course Conservation / Restoration and Excavation Technology is offered as a two-stage degree as part of the Bologna Process . First, the academic degree of a bachelor's degree is acquired and, based on this, a master’s degree can be completed.

Practical training

The advanced training to become a certified excavation technician takes place in Germany according to the so-called "Frankfurt model", which includes a three-year advanced training at a state archaeological office on the basis of completed vocational training in the technical and technical field. The examination takes place centrally in Frankfurt in front of representatives of the Roman-Germanic Commission of the German Archaeological Institute, the Association of Regional Archaeologists in the Federal Republic of Germany and excavation technicians appointed by them.

Switzerland

In Switzerland, the Conference of Swiss Cantonal Archaeologists (KSKA), together with the Association of Archaeological-Technical Excavation Personnel (VATG), conducts the professional examination of archaeological excavation technicians . This practice-oriented qualification is aimed at people who have been active in archeology for several years and who intend to acquire a higher professional qualification in the field of excavation technology. The exam is subject to a fee and, if passed, leads to the protected title of "Archaeological excavation technician with federal certificate ".

Great Britain

In Great Britain, numerous universities offer courses in "practical archeology" or "fieldarcheology", but often only as a post-graduate course as part of a master’s degree.

See also

• excavation

Web links

• Grabung eV Association for excavation technology, archeology, ground monument preservation and neighboring areas
• Association for excavation technology and field archeology eV - professional association of German-speaking excavation technicians
• Interview: What does an excavation technician actually do? in the Lower Saxony Monument Atlas

Training centers in Germany

• Major in excavation technology at the Berlin University of Technology and Economics
• Excavation Technology Commission in the Association of State Archaeologists

Training centers in Switzerland

• VATG - Association of Archaeological-Technical Excavation Personnel

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Markus Schleufe: Excavation Technician: The secret heroes of archeology. In: Zeit Online. September 11, 2014, accessed September 12, 2014 . 
2. ↑ http://krg.htw-berlin.de/
3. ↑ Roman-Germanic Commission of the German Archaeological Institute and Association of State Archaeologists in the Federal Republic of Germany V .: Advanced training and examination regulations for the profession of certified excavation technician. Revised version Frankfurt am Main, May 2017 ( PDF; 585 kB )
4. ↑ KSKA, VATG: Examination Regulations for the Professional Examination for Archaeological Excavation Technicians from November 15, 2010 ( PDF; 104 kB )