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Name:
Dr. Louis
Allaire
Occupation:
Archaeologist
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Paladin13: What is an
archaeologist? Do you dig up dinosaur bones?
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No, we do not dig up dinosaur
bones, that's for paleontologists. We dig up
objects called artifacts. Artifacts are things
that were made by humans or were the result of
human activities. Most artifacts are found in
ancient garbage dumps, from before people could
read and write. Sometimes those are the only
things that we have to learn about the lives of
ancient peoples. So be careful when you throw
anything in the garbage: it may turn up in a museum
one day.
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Okay, I'll try to remember
that. Have
you ever traveled to exotic or dangerous places to excavate?
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I started out in Prince Rupert (British
Columbia, Canada), then worked in Turkey
and more recently I worked in the
Caribbean Islands. I never thought of
the danger but come to think of it, in many places I've been there are chances of
volcanic eruptions, deadly snakes,
earthquakes, food poisoning, etc. So danger is always there!
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So do you carry a whip or a gun when you travel, like
Lara Croft or Indianna Jones?
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If I carry a whip it's exclusively for
use on my assistants! If I carried a gun,
they wouldn't let me on the airplane and so I wouldn't be able to fly
anywhere. As for Indianna Jones and Tomb Raider, they really only do
archaeology like they were doing 25 years ago!
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What do you do with the things
that you dig up?
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I usually forget about them for a
couple of years, then dig them up from my
dusty shelves. Then I wash them and measure
them, and classify them lovingly. Maybe one
day I'll write a final report so that the world
will finally know about them -- and me.
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So do you work for a
museum or a research foundation?
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I wish I did work for a museum; I
work for a university which means that I'm
mostly a teacher.
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What is your area of expertise?
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Let me think, this is a good question. I
like this question! Let's say the
archaeology of Caribbean beaches
-- I always seem to end up working on a beach. Hey,
it's a tough life but someone has to do it!
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What can we learn by doing
archaeology?
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We like to think that we can learn
everything about the prehistoric past (meaning before people could read and write), but actually we
only get half the pieces of the puzzle.
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How does someone become an
archaeologist?
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First you have to be born an archaeologist, then
go to grade school, to high school, and to college to get a degree. Then try
finding a job in archaeology and see what your parents will say!
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