Archaeology is a career for those who have an acute interest and training
in culture and history. It is preferable for candidates to have a background
of ancient history and culture. The basic eligibility criteria for Bachelor
course in History/ Archaeology (i.e B.A level) of three-year duration,
is 10+2 or equivalent. After graduation one can opt for a Post graduate
Diploma or Degree course in Archaeology.
Graduates in History in any stream with an aggregate of 55% marks can
apply for Diploma, Postgraduate Diploma or Post graduation (MA/ M.Sc.)
in different fields of Archaeology. Duration of these courses may vary
from 1 year to 2 years. Admission to the two year Post Graduate Diploma
course at the Institute of Archaeology, the academic wing of the Archeological
Survey of India in New Delhi, is on the basis of a written exam and an
interview.
At a higher level, those interested in conducting research on the various
branches of Archaeology can do Ph. D. But before applying for research
fellowship, they must have completed their post graduation.
Personal skills : The essential attributes needed
for an Archaeologist is a perceptive and probing mind, keen observation,
analytical and logical thinking. They must also possess creativity, accuracy
and should be able to recognize and appreciate arts. They should be adaptable
to physical stress and strain since they may have to work outdoors sometimes
in uncomfortable conditions. Besides dedication, a lot of patience is
required since researches in this field can take years on one project.
In order to conduct archaeological research, archaeologists need to be
conversant with the Geo-physical conditions.
Course Areas : Numismatics, epigraphy, archives and
museology are the important branches of Archaeology. Applied Sciences,
Theory and Methods in Archaeology, Protohistory, Art, Museology, Chemical
Preservation, Antiquarian Laws etc. are some of the subjects covered in
Archaeology. The course also consists of a detailed study of illustrated
manuscripts, fossils, inscriptions and coins. Archaeology
has a large number of sub- disciplines and specialisations. Historical
Archaeology, Ethno archaeology, Experimental archaeology , Archaeometry,
Computational Archaeology, Isotope analysis, Geoarchaeology, Bioarchaeology
are some of the specialisations. After doing the basics of the Archaeological
course, one can specialize in any of these fields.
In order to become an Archaeologist, the aspirant need to spend several
years training, taking tests and examinations, writing term papers and
thesis and doing continuous research. Apart from these, there will be
field work where one should observe the excavation of sites, analyzing
the relics and monuments, intern with a senior Archaeologist, learn new
techniques of excavation and practice using GPS tools and digging and
also drawing and photography.
