My dream job !!!

I first heard about archaeology through watching old movies like "The Mummy" and the Indiana Jones series, and playing video games like "Tomb Raider". I thought that the life of an archaeologist seemed so cool and exciting.

When Mrs Narsiman asked us which of the three social scientist jobs we would choose, the answer was obvious. I would be an archaeologist.

To me, archaeology is about solving puzzles. It is the scientific study of past societies based on things left behind. Archaeologists take these clues, and try to understand how people used to live, even how and when humans first appeared on earth. Archaeologists study not only books and documents, but also things like fossils, carvings, building ruins, pottery and other artifacts.

An archaeologist's job in real life is not as action packed as in the movies but it can be very exciting and full of adventure. You might have to climb mountains, dive underwater, crawl through tunnels, go into jungles and risk getting killed from accidents, stings from poisonous insects, attacks by wild beasts, booby traps and even curses! For example, the treasure and terracotta warriors buried in the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang were protected by booby trap crossbows. And it is said that the team that discovered King Tut's tomb were put under a curse and died mysteriously!

The terracotta army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of China (246-221 B.C.)

http://www.shanghai.cultural-china.com/

"6,000 warriors" by exploreTeam


The second reason is that I love to solve mysteries. An archaeologist is like a detective who must uncover the truth from bits and pieces of artifacts that are thousands of years old. Just like Heinrich Schliemann who found the City of Troy using Homer's poem "The Iliad" to find clues of where Troy could be. I would like to find out whether there really was a Noah's Ark or a Trojan Horse.

Howard Carter & King Tut's coffin

http://www.blog.talesofkingtut.com/

Since I like to travel, being an archaeologist will take me to archaeological sites all over the world like the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, the Colosseum in Rome, and Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Many can travel to these countries but some parts of these protected sites can only be visited by archaeologists. Now where shall I travel to, to find my own lost city to tell the world........?

So now you know why I want to be an archaeologist. I get to travel, go on adventures and solve mysteries. I like the idea about discovering the world's secrets and being able to share it with everyone. How did people in olden times live? What did they wear? What did they eat? What weapons did they use to hunt for food and to defend themselves? Did children in olden days behave like we do? That is for me to answer when I grow up and become an archaeologist!

"Indiana Jones and The Raiders of the Lost Ark fan trailer" by Quid1Pro1Quo