that apart from a few digs run by local
> societies and the
> like (university training digs), excavation has pretty much
> gone professional in
> english-speaking archaeology -
>         is that about right or have I got it wrong?


It seems to me that the main issue is liability. Perhaps most companies
would like to avoid a lawsuit when somebody slices off a chunk of their
thumb with a trowel? Seriously, last summer I ran an all-volunteer project
which went well, and the insight I gained from that experience that relates
to this subject is that volunteers have some drawbacks that make them not as
desirable as paid crew for CRM work. One is that often, they can only donate
a couple weeks worth of their time, which is not so good when you have a
long project. Two, you can count on the fact that most volunteers will have
little or no experience in field archaeology, and combined with point one,
that means a good deal of project time is spent teaching basic
archaeological method.  The above is not true of course for all volunteers -
I had one who had more field experience than most archaeologists I've known!

Still, working with volunteers can be a very positive experience, and it's
very good PR for your organization. I also think that there doesn't seem to
be any lack of projects out there that utilize volunteer help regularly, so
I don't think that folks who want to gain experience in archaeology
volunteering are going to be wanting for it.

Andrew R. Sewell, M.S., RPA
Historical Archaeologist
ORISE Program Participant
Fort McCoy Archaeology Laboratory
Building 104
Ft.  McCoy Wisconsin 54656
phone: (608)-388-8257
fax: (608)-388-3319

"I think we agree, the past is over." -George W. Bush on his meeting
with John McCain, Dallas Morning News, May 10, 2000