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Les Hazell
What
is your current position?
I am presently a student, undertaking postgraduate research for a Master of Arts (Archaeology) degree at Latrobe University, Bundoora, Victoria. Prior to commencing this program, I held a position as a sessional lecturer and tutor in Cultural Heritage Management.
Where
did you study archaeology?
I originally trained as an architectural draughtsman at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne in the late 1960s. I completed a BA (Hons) at Deakin University, Geelong Victoria, by Distance Education or Off Campus, graduating in1999. Major streams were art and architecture, but no archaeology!!!! Subsequently, I was accepted for the Latrobe University Postgraduate program in the School of Archaeology at Bundoora, Victoria commencing 2003.
How
did you become interested in archaeology?
An interest in historical events and places, particularly maritime events, has been an ongoing curiosity from childhood, reinforced by continuous contact with the sea and activities associated with this environment.
Travelling overseas focussed these interests in a more tangible way and brought the various elements together. I became intensely interested in the construction logistics of stone structures such as Stonehenge, particularly academic speculation on how the stones were transported and the possibility of watercraft having been used to do so.
What
archaeological projects are you working on at the moment?
Current research is investigating two cultures. The first is the transport of large stones used in sculptures known as Colossal Heads and altars by the Pre Classic Olmec society of Mesoamerica. The second is megalithic transport in Micronesian societies. Plans are also being made for research and investigation of stone transport in other Oceania societies in the immediate future. All these projects are extensions from the outcomes of my initial research. These projects will utilise computer technology to optimise outcomes from research in current studies and also those in the near future.
My latest projects pending or underway are work on Nan Madol on Pohnpei : a megalithic city; and 3D terrain modelling for a Maya complex survey on Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico.
Tell
us about one of your most interesting archaeological discoveries.
Probably the most interesting “discovery” was the revelation that even intensively studied events and places still offer challenges for research in spite of confident assertions to the contrary. Stonehenge was and is a case in point. My background vocationally and basic interests combined to question speculation on open sea transport methods and routes as the central topic of my honours thesis. My challenge was to present formally and convincingly, what I suspected intuitively. The outcome is the foundation for my continuing research.
Tell
us about a funny/disastrous/amazing experience that you have had
while doing archaeology.
I have to say rather than having a funny experience, being involved in archaeology has been and continues to be, a fun experience. The people I have met contribute to this view of the profession. As an archaeological researcher rather than a field archaeologist my exposure to disasters or the amazing is limited. However those glitches that come to mind are computer related and therefore well known to most.
What’s
your favourite part of being an archaeologist?
In my role as a researcher I find the challenge of interpretation, often using limited evidence satisfying. Part of this satisfaction is finding ways to utilise what I do know to explain what I do not know. That was and is the fun part. There is pleasure also in following a thread or theme to open further avenues for study. Underlying all of this is a sense of achievement in contributing to our broader knowledge.
The options for research are diverse and this is matched and well served by diversity in background and the skills of those who are interested and stubborn enough to pursue its challenges. Most vocational disciplines and interests appear to have application in archaeology and that makes for a dynamic research environment.
Follow
up reading:
Hazell, Leslie C. and Fitzpatrick, Scott M. 2006 The Maritime Transport of Megaliths in Micronesia. Archaeology in Oceania 41(1):12-24.
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