List colleagues,

Sorry if you get this multiple times.

I have just found out that there is a patron saint for archaeologists!  Perhaps unsurprising, given that there is one for just about everything else.

His name is Saint Damasus and his big day is 11 December, next Monday.

He was a former Pope of the Fourth Century, elected when Rome was still just another place where bishops lived, but marked his career by undertaking surveys and excavations to relocate the tombs of Roman martyrs, so both not having to travel very far for fieldwork opportunities and justifying the primacy of Rome while the Christian church was still very decentralised.  He was also known for writing 'turgid' commemorative verse and having it used on the plaques that were added to the martyr tombs.  I'm sure that more detailed biographical work will reveal other disturbing parallels to his modern counterparts.

Given that archaeology is a multicultural and diverse profession and that most are probably not active Christians I guess I'm not sure that a patron saint is something that we either need or want.  Nonetheless you may want to use this as a convenient excuse to get together for a drink with a mate.   There may be other appropriate days for archaeologists to use as an excuse to carouse.  Perhaps Gordon Childe's birthday?

Thoughts?

Denis

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Denis Gojak
Heritage Asset Manager
NSW Department of Urban Affairs and Planning
2-10 Wentworth Street
Parramatta NSW 2150
PO Box 404 Parramatta 2124
Ph:    +61 2 9895 7940
Fax:   +61 2 9895 7946
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