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: Samantha Lindgren
Position: Undergraduate Archaeology and Near Eastern Studies Major, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Digging Since:
Current Excavation: Volunteer, Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon, Israel
What hat do you wear?
I wear a loose cloth hat with a brim running around it. This helps protect my face and neck from sunburn. But it makes tying my hair up hard.
What trowel do you use?
I’m loyal to Marshalltown. That’s the standard at Ashkelon so I always have to make sure mine doesn’t end up with our pile of extras.
What’s in your bag?
Bandaids: After getting blisters on my first expedition, I started carrying around a pack of them. And, if I’m not getting blisters, someone else is.
Gardening Gloves: After my blister experience, I started wear a pair of old gardening gloves. They also help keep my hands from getting caked with dirt.
Notebook: Last year I started helping my square supervisor with note-taking and luckily I had a notebook with me. This has now become a part of my bag, just for taking general notes. I publish a daily blog of my adventures on site and sometimes I right down specific events to remind me to write about them later.
Book: I’m a bit of an introvert and I don’t have time during my semester to read many books for fun. I like to have a good novel to read on fruit break.
Hand sanitizer: It’s great to have for second breakfast. After I rinse dirt off my hands, I use some sanitizer. Dirt don’t hurt but it’s nice to have clean hands when you’re eating.
Bandana: I cannot name all of a bandana’s wonderful uses. Wet it and put it around your neck to keep you cool. Tie it around your face to prevent yourself from inhaling a lot of dust. Use it to wrap up fruit to keep it clean in your bag. Clean up spills. Lay it over more delicate finds for temporary protection. This item is essential!
Water Enhancers: Water is necessary but it can get kind of boring. I like to flavor my water with Crystal Light Water Enhancers to make my water flavorful. I really like to drink them, so when I do, I never have to worry that I will get dehydrated.
Gum: We can’t go back to our rooms to brush out teeth after first or second breakfast, so I like to chew on some spearmint or peppermint gum to avoid bad breath. It’s really easy to go by a mini-market to pick up a few packages.
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