Holly Maclean
Current position
Senior Heritage Consultant / Archaeologist at Urbis.
Where did you study?
The University of Queensland (Archaeology/Anthropology)
Deakin University (Masters Cultural Heritage)
How did you become interested in archaeology?
My parents travelled, lived, and worked around the world before I arrived. So I grew up with stories of their experiences in the Middle East, visiting archaeological sites in the UK, and historic sites throughout Europe. Some of my family are Maori, so I was lucky enough to get some valuable insights into New Zealand's cultural history.
What archaeological projects are you working on at the moment?
Currently reporting on an excavation of an 1880s building, where a sondage managed to hit two stone blocks that turned out to be an entire cellar that was unrecorded on the historic plans we had been able to source.
Tell us about one of your most interesting archaeological discoveries.
As with some other featured archaeologists, I've also excavated at Pella in Jordan. We excavated through a destruction layer to discover that a mudbrick wall had fallen over and completely preserved a cache of Iron Age pottery goblets and plates.
Tell us about a funny / disastrous / amazing experience that you have had while doing archaeology.
There are so many! From completely splitting your pants getting caught on barbed wire, backing up into a surprise electric fence, looking at a great artefact assemblage that turned out to be on an ants nest (literal ants in your pants), friendly farm dogs jumping into the sieve for cuddles. But mostly any time you uncover and touch something made by another human hundreds/thousands/longer ago!
What’s your favourite part of being an archaeologist?
Travel, getting out of the office, learning about people of the past, seeing cultural changes over time through the archaeological record, interpreting history to the community, and knowing really obscure facts that are usually high value questions at trivia nights.
Follow up reading.