Dear Deb,

I want to say how much I like your approach to teaching volunteers. 
Volunteering is the only way I've done archaeology. (I've taken on-site 
courses, but these all included work for the larger project.)
As you indicated, we are an enthusiastic bunch and generally want to 
learn how to do things right. Teaching us what needs to be treated with 
care, how to do it, and - especially - why, is important.
I'm a hands-on learner, and being shown how to do something in the field 
beats the pants off reading textbooks or manuals.

In gratitude,
Eve

On 24-Mar-2015 5:43 PM, Deb Bennett wrote:
> Hi, Imola: I also think on-site education is important, that is to say,
> the direct interaction with other (non-archaeozoologically-oriented) staff
> and with volunteers. Of course having an official protocol is good, but
> though staff may read such, volunteers, who are the ones who are often the
> first to touch any find, usually do not. And I find that volunteers
> positively lap it up and are extremely grateful for any expert instruction
> they receive.
>
> Therefore, every time I get a chance, I tell our folks:
>
> (1) Control yourself when you first see the item -- in your excitement,
> you're going to want to go fast to get it out and see what it is, but you
> have to go slow for fear of breaking it or missing nearby bones that might
> go to it
> (2) Don't turtle my teeth
> (3) Keep a real sharp eye out for small stuff.
>
> These simple instructions have greatly improved the number of times I
> don't get "edentulous" jaws, and on two occasions have resulted in the
> recovery of mouse-sized remains (teeny bones in a glob of mud, the mudball
> being carefully cradled up to the research hut so as to not lose
> anything).
>
> I also, whenever possible/permitted by our site director (and this is
> often enough if it's raining buckets outside), volunteer to spend an hour
> with all the dig volunteers crowded into the research hut, giving them
> some kind of talk or other designed to help them better understand what
> they're digging. Or sometimes I do this during lunch hour, especially if
> something exciting has come up during the morning and I know everybody
> would like to know about it. So, I teach them to tell cows from horses,
> show them which teeth are more likely to fall out if the jaw is turned
> upside-down, help them to understand how scrappy busted cow skull is still
> identifiable as cow skull, or how to tell a femur from a tibia. This is
> just friendly and courteous as well as being useful. I am of the belief
> that we are all equals, that everybody's contribution is equally vital,
> that we're all in the quest together and therefore we all as much as
> possible need to be on the same page. Hope this helps -- Dr. Deb
>
>> Imola,
>> This link will allow you to download a pdf of the recent English Heritage
>> Guidelines for animal bones in archaeology. It might be a good place to
>> start to demonstrate collection strategies for archaeologists, as well as
>> easily allowing you to distribute it to colleagues, though you may wish to
>> make modifications for your specific circumstances:
>> https://www.historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/animal-bones-and-archaeology/
>> Best wishes,
>> Don.
>>   Dear zooarchers,
>> do any of you work with a protocol that tells archaeologists how to
>> handle/gather animal remains on site, in case you/the zooarchaeologist
>> can't be there? I have a few ideas about what I would expect, but I'd love
>> to hear other opinions, too.
>> Thanks a lot and regards,
>> Imola
>>
>> *Imola Kelemen*
>> *archaeozoologist*
>> Muzeul Secuiesc al Ciucului
>> 530132 Miercurea Ciuc, Piata Cetatii 2.
>> www.csikimuzeum.ro
>>
>


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