Sam would loved to have stayed on the dig at Thirlestane Barrows for longer, but he managed to squeeze it in between a job interview and a wedding! He lives in Edinburgh but is staying with his Gran in Peebles. Sam studied English Literature and Classical Studies with the Open University and went on to do a Masters in Archaeology at Edinburgh University. As this was mid-pandemic, it was purely theoretical and therefore Sam was looking out for some practical archaeology experience.
Sam’s ‘outside’ interests include baseball, playing historical strategy video games and reading, his favoured genres including sci-fi, fantasy and alternate history.
Sam described his experience at Thirlestane Barrows as “very hard work – physically really tiring, but in a positive way – you feel like you’ve accomplished something!” When asked about whether the experience differed to his expectations, he admitted that he underestimated how much hoeing, mattocking and shovelling of dirt went into a dig before you get to the archaeology! Having excelled in all these skills, Sam was rewarded with the experience of slowly revealing the central feature and being able to see the cut and change in soil colour.
In just 3 words, Sam described his experience at Thirlestane Barrows as “tiring but rewarding”!
A super wee video interview with some further questioning:
Many thanks Sam – it won’t be the same without you always being in the right place at the right moment with your shovel!
