Scott Bowen
10 ways to find your inner Indiana Jones
So you’ve climbed the Acropolis, seen the Sphinx and walked the Great Wall—and they were breathtaking. But did those trips leave you with a lingering feeling that simply gazing upon ancient edifices just isn’t enough? How about helping to actually find something? On an archaeological vacation, you can get your hands dirty while also contributing to culture.
“Voluntourism is a booming activity,” says Jeanine Pfeiffer, program director for social sciences at Earthwatch, a non-profit organization that seeks to introduce science into the lives of non-specialists. “Although, a better term might be ‘citizen science.’” For most of us without academic or professional experience in surveying and excavating, numerous organizations offer vacations that combine travel with on-site artifact recovery and restoration. Some sites focus on pottery, others are filled with fossils. At least one is dedicated to recovering sunken war machines. No matter your interest, taking one of these voluntourism trips will give new meaning to the idea of a “working vacation.”...
10 ways to find your inner Indiana Jones
So you’ve climbed the Acropolis, seen the Sphinx and walked the Great Wall—and they were breathtaking. But did those trips leave you with a lingering feeling that simply gazing upon ancient edifices just isn’t enough? How about helping to actually find something? On an archaeological vacation, you can get your hands dirty while also contributing to culture.
“Voluntourism is a booming activity,” says Jeanine Pfeiffer, program director for social sciences at Earthwatch, a non-profit organization that seeks to introduce science into the lives of non-specialists. “Although, a better term might be ‘citizen science.’” For most of us without academic or professional experience in surveying and excavating, numerous organizations offer vacations that combine travel with on-site artifact recovery and restoration. Some sites focus on pottery, others are filled with fossils. At least one is dedicated to recovering sunken war machines. No matter your interest, taking one of these voluntourism trips will give new meaning to the idea of a “working vacation.”...
Scott Bowen 10 ways to find your inner Indiana Jones So you’ve climbed the Acropolis, seen the Sphinx and walked the Great Wall—and they were breathtak... more
340
CURRENT RANK
CURRENT SCORE
less stats more stats12.97
Rank (best ever) 13
Score (all time) 3949.00
Created 06/14/08
Views 3899
Votes [disabled]
1
Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania
You'll be roughing it in your tent and sleeping bag in this magnificent Tanzanian landscape, but you'll also be walking in the footsteps of Louis and Mary Leakey as you search for artifacts of early hominids and later Stone Age cultures. The effort is essential to continued discoveries, as erosion is washing away numerous artifacts. The archaeology party camps and dines in the historic Leakey camp, and spends days excavating and screening for fossils; there's time to venture into Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti National Park, and visit the Maasai. Three 14-day trips are scheduled from May to September; the requested contribution is $2,850.
2
Mammoth Graveyard, Hot Springs, South Dakota
Who doesn't love a woolly mammoth? For reasons not entirely known, these wonderful furry elephants disappeared from North America 10,000 years ago. Important answers might be found in the dirt of this site that's littered with fossilized mammoth remains. Excavation crews sift and sort across the site, sometimes finding teeth or major bones, maybe even a tusk. Over the past thirty years, 55 mammoths have been recorded at the site, along with other prehistoric fauna, including a short-faced cave bear. Program contribution is $2,750, and the late July expedition still has openings.
3
Truk Lagoon, Micronesia
This "dig" is ideal for World War II buffs—but only those with two year's diving experience at 60-plus-feet depths can jump in. The program surveys the wrecks of numerous Imperial Japanese ships and dozens of aircraft in the waters of Truk in Micronesia. This is a scuba diver's mecca. The data collection, which is also focused on the corals and other wildlife and the rate of decay of the wrecks, will help Micronesia develop its management program for the lagoon. Four 13-day trips are available July through November. Requested contribution is $2,464.
4
Cueva Victoria, Murcia Province, Spain
Digging at Spain's Cueva Victoria, a six-room cave not far from the Mediterranean Sea, provides significant lessons in the history of early people in Europe—how did they live, where did they travel and how do they relate to us? In a landscape similar to the New Mexico desert, researchers have found abundant animal fossils, some human remains, and a number of prehistoric tools, in this long-running, museum-connected effort. Noontime breaks in digging are essential as the sun gets hot; have lunch, take a nap or go swimming. Quick beach visits are easy. Three planned expeditions span July to mid-September; the contribution is $2,850.
5
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
At some point millions of years ago, North and South America became connected via what is now Panama. Prehistoric mammals then did what came naturally: They migrated, moving south to north. One result is a vast fossil field in central Mexico, filled with the petrified remains of various Tertiary-period mammals, including the giant armadillo-like glyptodont. Most fossil-collecting here involves brushes, ice picks and chisels; pretty much anyone can get it done. The findings could aid significant new theories about these animals and their relation to the biological history of South and North America. Some of the first South American animal fossils found in Mexico came from this region. The July expeditions still have room, and the requested contribution is $1,546 for seven days afield.
6
African-American History, Montpelier Station, Virginia
It's a dig that goes to the heart of a truly American contradiction: What does it mean that a statesman as brilliant as James Madison owned slaves? Participants will combine excavation with lab work to decipher artifacts coming out of the very well-preserved slave quarters on the Madison estate in Virginia. In the backyard of the Madison mansion, remnants of work stations, trash dumps and other "mundane" structures are yielding clues to the lives of the African-Americans who lived here. Openings for 12-day sessions, for a $1,950 contribution, are still available for late August through October.
7
Pambamarca Archaeology Project, Cayambe, Ecuador
The great concentration of pre-Colombian fortresses in the Andes of north Ecuador has long been an indicator of a fierce war between the once-encroaching Incas and the defending Cayambe. The design of these forts, the reasons why so many were built in the Pambamarca region and the methods of war they enabled are a major part of the archaeological investigation here, a project under the supervision of the UCLA Archaeology Field Program. The big secret held in these ruins: Why were the Cayambe able to hold off the Inca while so many other South American cultures fell to the invaders? Tuition is currently $4,100 for this highly academic five-week expedition (July to August); it's oriented toward undergraduate and graduate study but open to visiting students/volunteers. (Look to 2009 for this trip, as 2008's application deadlines are passing.)
8
Mount Zion, Jerusalem
To expand upon the Old City's history, archaeologists are excavating the Roman-era homes that once stood inside the city walls, along Jerusalem's busy main street. Many of these houses still have major parts intact. The dig site is not far from the city's Ottoman-era walls, and the two-week summer sessions here go from June into July, and August into September. But the application window is getting smaller and smaller, so sign up soon. The cost of getting in on the dig is roughly $600; room, board and transportation are up to the participant.
9
Mayan Archaeological Project, Belize
Belize may no longer be a secret, but it's still a jewel. This research area—250,000 acres in the northwest—is maintained by the University of Texas at Austin in cooperation with a local nonprofit organization. The search for Mayan artifacts goes on in the middle of a neo-tropical rainforest full of wildlife. Participants will excavate at a number of Mayan sites (there are 50 in all), and also perform some laboratory work involving excavated artifacts. One summer session costs $1,525, and sessions occur from mid-May to mid-July (minimum stay is two weeks). The last four days of each session are dedicated for travel to Mayan buildings at Tikal, Guatemala or jaunts to one of the country's lovely islands.
10
Goodman Point Canyon, Colorado
Federal protection of the Goodman Point Unit within the Hovenweep National Monument began in the late 1800s, resulting in one of the best-preserved sites of Anasazi (or Pueblo) cultural remains in the Mesa Verde. A new phase of the research at Crow Canyon Archaeological Center will begin this year, focusing on roadways and habitation sites surrounded a well-researched village. There are also dedicated family expeditions, and sessions in laboratory work using artifacts from the site. Tuition for one week is $1,280.
[source: https://www.forbestraveler.com/adventure/archaeological-vacations-story.html ]
Not watching this list (get updates on this list).
(all people watching this list)
).
MORE LISTS
RECOMMENDED LISTS
COMMENTS
