Interviews
Our ‘10 questions in 5 minutes’ with leading researchers and authors.
Dr. Anna Goldfield
Anna has a Ph.D. in Archaeology from Boston University and specialises in analysing faunal remains from archaeological sites, with particular emphasis on the diets of Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans.
She is currently an adjunct instructor in Anthropology at Cosumnes River College, Sacramento and a researcher affiliated with the Anthropology Department of UC Davis. She is also a writer for SAPIENS (a digital magazine all about Anthropology), an illustrator, and a co-host of The Dirt; a podcast about the wierd and wonderful stories of Archaeology.
You can find out more and follow Anna here:
Twitter: @AnnaGoldfield
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1. What inspired you to be involved in your area of expertise?
I've always been deeply interested in history and the natural sciences, and actually started off in undergrad as a classics major. I took an archaeology class in my second semester, though, and I realized that what I was really interested in was past human behavior and human stories. From there, it was a lot of wandering around, academically speaking, before I got invited to a field project in southwestern France and got interested in zooarchaeology and Neanderthals--a lot of happy accidents, really.
2. What do you like most about your field?
I love that archaeology and anthropology can borrow approaches from every other conceivable field in the sciences to get at different research questions. There's so much potential for collaboration and it's always better to find an expert in a field you know little about rather than flailing around and trying to figure everything out for yourself.
3. Who do you see as an inspiring historical figure?
It's so hard to choose! I think that we can learn from any historical figure, whether it's by emulating them or avoiding their pitfalls. That is a total cop-out, I know!
4. What book, website, or other resource would you recommend to new students of H/AH/ARCH?
The Cartoon History of the Universe (parts 1-3) by Larry Gonick, anything by Ken Feder, and A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived by Adam Rutherford. Also, The Dirt Podcast (shameless)!
5. What book, website, or other resource do you think is possibly the best you have ever found?
A lot of museums (like the Smithsonian, Mutter Museum, and Wellcome Collection) have really fantastic archives and websites that are very accessible for the public. We like to use those as sources for images and information whenever we can.
6. Can you mention one or two emerging themes you have observed in H/AH/ARCH?
The trend that I'm most appreciative of is an ever-increasing interest in teasing out details of the lives of everyday people, rather than just looking for the king-of-whatever or prominent historical figures. Often, the stories of the people who lived and died without leaving a historical trace have some very compelling stories to tell, whether from their remains or from the few bits of material culture they left behind.
7. What advice would you give someone starting out in H/AH/ARCH?
Talk to people! Find out what interests you and find people who do that thing! Follow organizations and people whose work you're interested in on social media. Keep yourself in the loop so that if fieldwork or job opportunities come up, you're aware. Find yourself a good network of colleagues and there will always be someone who knows someone who can help you or direct you.
8. If you could meet any historical figure who would it be and why?
No matter the civilization or time period, I'm interested in what people's daily lives were like--not so much the elite or the people whose lives were recorded in writing but the people who are sometimes relatively invisible after their deaths. I'd like to talk to a whole group of those people and have them walk me through their days. That said, I'd also love to have met Frances Glessner Lee, the "godmother of forensic science". She's a success story because she had the money, education, and means to make her passion her career/lifelong hobby but what she did with her life had a real impact on forensic science and police work.
9. Which era or time period would you like to visit?
I have so many! Top two: the Middle Paleolithic in Europe (200,000ish-40,000ish years ago) so I could visit some Neanderthals and answer all my burning questions about them. Also, Iron Age Britain, and I'd take Amber [Co-host of The Dirt Podcats] with me so we could both go and yell WHAT WERE YOU DOING because there are some really bizarre burials from that time! What were they doing??
10. Do you have a favourite historical quote, if so what is it?
I don't! I'm so boring! I have a least favorite, though--"THIS BELONGS IN A MUSEUM" from Indiana Jones. It doesn't always belong in a museum.