Field archaeology can only be properly learnt in the field, through using techniques and

looking at and thinking about archaeological remains. What, then, is the point of a textbook on field

archaeology? When I came into field archaeology some thirty-five years ago, it was still possible

for a raw recruit to spend afternoons with the director of an excavation sitting in front of a section

as the mysteries of stratigraphy were revealed. Increasingly such luxury is unavailable to newcomers.

So how do those who want to become field archaeologists learn their skills? Although there are

many courses, field schools and training excavations, most still learn "on the job".