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Siobhan McKenna
What
is your current position?
Honours Student
Where
did you study archaeology?
Archaeology at the University of New England and Melbourne Uni. Other study through Charles Sturt University & La Trobe University.
How
did you become interested in archaeology?
I don't remember a time when I didn't want to be an archaeologist (literally!). Like so many others it was the romanticism that attracted me. Stories of heroes, wars, gods and legends of mythical beings. Who wouldn't like that stuff? Travelling to other countries and seeing some amazing cultures first hand simply intensified my interest.
However, with people telling me I'd never make any money in archaeology, I tried law and applied science first. I enjoyed these areas, but my heart just wasn't in it. I put aside all my doubts of finding work and studied what I had always wanted to and I haven't had a single regret in doing so.
What
archaeological projects are you working on at the moment?
At the moment, I am a full time honours student starting a thesis on Bronze Age Aegean. I have previously had experience in Australian historical and Aboriginal archaeology and at the end of the year I am off to Samoa to gain some experience in Pacific Island archaeology.
Tell
us about one of your most interesting archaeological discoveries.
Tell
us about a funny/disastrous/amazing experience that you have had
while doing archaeology.
I was visiting a 5000 year old chambered cairn (mound tomb) in the Orkney Islands north of Scotland. The inside of the tomb is covered with runes from Vikings who broke in through the roof looking for treasure and went insane and died within because they were unable to get back out. The entrance to the tomb is less than a metre high and to get inside you are required to crawl a couple of metres. Unfortunately, the modern steel gate can only be opened from the outside and as I crawled in my foot caught the gate and shut it behind me. I was locked in the tomb for about 40 minutes until some tourists found me and let me out. Apart from being really embarrassed, I certainly felt for those unfortunate Vikings during that time.
What’s
your favourite part of being an archaeologist?
I don't have to sit in an office all day if I don't want to and I can work in the most remote and exotic places in the world! There's also the amazing people you meet and cultures you learn about.
There is a lot more than that though - For those who aren't archaeologists, can you imagine standing in the actual palace where the legend of the Minotaur began, or being in the exact spot where a soldier might have died while fighting for Troy and holding his dagger or arrowhead in your hand? Did Achilles really ride his chariot around here somewhere?
Archaeology helps to bring our past into our immediate reality. I guess that is my favourite part of being an archaeologist, finding physical links to all these amazing stories.
Follow
up reading:
The following are sites built by myself aimed at primary and high school students containing brief information about the black plague and Easter Island.
Easter Island (The ecological impact of a growing population) - http://www.geocities.com/raspberryswirrrl/easter.html
The Black Plague - http://www.geocities.com/raspberryswirrrl/aaune.html
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