Sam Riley
Current position
Archaeologist and Heritage Consultant (Travers bushfire and ecology)
Where did you study?
Macquarie University
How did you become interested in archaeology?
I was always fascinated with history growing up - an interest that was most likely spurred by the portrayals of archaeologists in film and media which, despite their many inaccuracies, hold a dear place in my heart. Throughout high school I studied as much history as I possibly could which further cemented my desire to end up in a career involving history.
What archaeological projects are you working on at the moment?
Currently I am working with Travers bushfire and ecology on a number of Aboriginal and European heritage projects across NSW.
Tell us about one of your most interesting archaeological discoveries.
Working on an excavation of a Roman fort in Bulgaria I uncovered an intact rat skull from underneath the floor level of one of the buildings. The rest of the skeleton was nowhere to be found, but the fact that the skull had managed to survive for thousands of years intact amazes me to this day.
We also did a quick ground survey over a recently ploughed field near the excavation and uncovered dozens of pottery sherds of varying sizes which had been brought to the surface by the ploughing process. It was amazing to see all of these artefacts just sitting on the surface after being buried for so many years!
Tell us about a funny / disastrous / amazing experience that you have had while doing archaeology.
I was involved in an excavation near Coffs Harbour which was located on a sandbank that was only accessible by canoe. We had to drag the canoes loaded with our equipment about 100-150m across the beach from the carpark to where we could canoe across to the site, and then all the way back again at the end of each day, which was more exhausting than the excavation itself. The varying levels of canoeing skill made getting across to site an amusing experience, with some people getting blown away or turned around by the wind!
What’s your favourite part of being an archaeologist?
Being able to connect with such a wide range of people from different backgrounds and learning from them. One of the best parts of my job is that I am always learning and expanding my knowledge - I always come away having learnt something new with every project, survey or excavation I am involved in.
Follow up reading.