In our “What’s in your dig bag?” series, we asked working field archaeologists what they carry with them out in the field. We wanted to know what gear they love and what items might be unique to them.
Name: Jennie Ebeling
Position: Associate Professor of Archaeology and Chair of the Department of Archaeology and Art History, University of Evansville, IN
Digging Since: 1994
Current Excavation: Co-Director (with Norma Franklin), Jezreel Expedition, Israel
What hat do you wear?
I’ve been wearing the same floppy cotton hat for the last five years. It has good coverage and is so distinctive that I’ve been asked many times where I bought it (Marshalls).
What trowel do you use?
We use Marshalltowns at Jezreel; I don’t carry one around in my bag, though (See my post on claiming dig fashion.).
What’s in your bag?
Absolute necessities: 1-2 1.5 liter bottles of water and a big bottle of sunscreen.
Squares of halva (usually my first breakfast), Larabars, and, occasionally, a 1 kg. box of Osem Petit beurre biscuits for everyone.
Travel mug with the dregs of my 4:45 am pour-over.
T.P. and baby wipes – self-explanatory. Other Mom-purse-type items, like Band-Aids and gum.
A small thermometer in Celsius and Fahrenheit so I can prove that it’s actually only 87 degrees F.
Digital camera, sharpies, pads of paper, extra bags and tags.
University of Evansville t-shirt and Jezreel Expedition bandana for photo ops.
My dig bag may look ratty, but it’s special to me. I bought it 20 years ago in Tucson and it has all kinds of hidden pockets that occasionally yield surprises, like long-lost flash drives, old Burts Bees lip balms, and the key to the ground stone artifact storeroom at Hazor.
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