Interview Caladan!

[TurkeyOnRye]

Do you sell your finds on ebay?

What kinds of things have you taken home with you and who decides that?

 

[Caladan]

Do you sell your finds on ebay?

What kinds of things have you taken home with you and who decides that?

LOL. I'm not sure I should answer these questions!!!!
Seriously though, no I never sold antiquities. I do have the odd pieces of pottery which I found to be unique or originally decorated, or an old Ottoman clay pipe. I mostly scrapped these from disposed off pottery. Unlike many other parts of the world we have an abundance of archaeological remains in Israel, so the vast majority of pottery pieces find their way to dumps rather than being kept.

 

[TurkeyOnRye]

What kinds of tools do you use during a standard dig? Is archaeology really as laborious and time-consuming as one might think?

 

[Caladan]

What kinds of tools do you use during a standard dig? Is archaeology really as laborious and time-consuming as one might think?

Dumpy level, trowels, handpicks, shovels are some of the basic equipment.
Archaeology is very laborious and plenty of the analysis of the excavated material takes very careful examination.
Imagine digging in hard earth and carrying buckets or a wheelbarrow filled with sand all day long, or sifting sand in what seems to be a sysiphic quest to find the odd coin in mountains of sand.
archaeological excavation is very physically hard, in many archaeological sites we are also talking about hot summers. You dig, you move earth, you bend your back, you place your knees on rocks in yogic positions.
There is also another level of work which includes surveying, taking measures, heights, sketching, marking, cleaning, writing.

 

[Caladan]

Here's an illustration of a day in the life of an archaeologist (well at least my life): crawling, trekking, and getting dirty.

 

[Caladan]

 

[Caladan]

And then, occasionally there's the chilling.

 

[TurkeyOnRye]

Great photos, Caladan!

What's the process like of choosing a dig site? How does one know where to look? Do you have any special tools that can help you locate subterranean...things?

 

[Caladan]

Great photos, Caladan!

What's the process like of choosing a dig site? How does one know where to look?

There are various ways to determine that. Even such ways as reading ancient literary sources, identifying artificial land formations, or conducting surveys in search of finds on the surface which may indicate on buried ruins.

Do you have any special tools that can help you locate subterranean...things?

Absolutely. Geophysical surveys help determine what can potentially lay beneath the ground, moreover we can evaluate what to expect. For example which kind of architecture lies underground. It's done through sensing instruments.

 

[TurkeyOnRye]

Absolutely. Geophysical surveys help determine what can potentially lay beneath the ground, moreover we can evaluate what to expect. For example which kind of architecture lies underground. It's done through sensing instruments.

Are you skilled at using such instruments? What kinds of technology are incorporated into them?

 

[Caladan]

Are you skilled at using such instruments? What kinds of technology are incorporated into them?

I conducted a geophysical survey using electric resistance meter in the UK. But some surveys are done through the help of departments independent of the archaeologists, they may use radar based instruments for example.

 

[TurkeyOnRye]

Last questions from me!

What advice would you suggest to those studying to become archaeologists?

Could you elaborate on any other interesting tidbits about yourself that seem relavant? What about you would someone never think to ask?

 

[Caladan]

Last questions from me!

Awwww you were wonderful.

What advice would you suggest to those studying to become archaeologists?

Haha I am going to quote Professor Henry Jones Jr.
"Archaeology is the search for fact... not truth. If it's truth you're looking for, Dr. Tyree's philosophy class is right down the hall"

Could you elaborate on any other interesting tidbits about yourself that seem relavant? What about you would someone never think to ask?

Hmmm. Great question! Not sure!

 

[TurkeyOnRye]

Awwww you were wonderful.

Ok, you twisted my arm, lol. One more round of questions.

What kind of art do you like, if any? Do you like poetry? Examples?

Do you create art? If so, with what media?

Do you have any musical background? Do you know how to play any instruments? What's your favorite kind of music? Examples?

 

[Caladan]

Ok, you twisted my arm, lol. One more round of questions.

YAY! :bow:

What kind of art do you like, if any? Do you like poetry? Examples?

I like Picasso's painting from the blue and rose periods, not crazy about the cubic period. I obviously love plenty of art from antiquity, some of my all time favourites are Winged Victory of Samothrace, and the 'bird lady' of predynastic Egypt. I also have a weak spot for Dali. And more than an aesthetic interest in da Vinci, Michelangelo and the art under the Medici in general.

Poetry and literature wise. I like Lord Byron, Edgar Allen Poe, William Blake, Rumi, Ibn Arabi, Hafiz, and Khalil Gibran. and again literature and poetry from antiquity, including Homer and Sumerian poetry.

Do you create art? If so, with what media?

I wrote a few things, they are buried somewhere.

Do you have any musical background? Do you know how to play any instruments? What's your favorite kind of music? Examples?

When I was very young I used to play the keyboards, its a pretty sad case as many of my friends are professional musicians and I know I have the talent to develop musical skills.

My favourite kind of music... hmmm. I like what you would call several types of local music using local instruments, such as the lute, and the Arabic lute. I also like jazz, blues, and rock to all it's varieties. Cohen, Dylan, Cash, Tom Waits, some of the delta blues legends. These are some of the big names. I also grew up on music from NIN, Joy Division, Bauhaus and some good rocking metal or hard rock.

 

[TurkeyOnRye]

Thanks for taking the time to let us get to know you better, Caladan!

 

[Caladan]

Thanks for taking the time to let us get to know you better, Caladan!

Thanks TOR! This was great!

 

[Bob Dixon]

Got any favourite composers?

 

[Caladan]

Got any favourite composers?

This is going to sound like an oxymoron to some, but yes. Carl Orff and Wagner.

 

[Viker]

In light of recent demands, I step up, for the guillotine, a stream of tomato

This is really all I saw.


Are you always this funny?