Rachel Mort

I’ve loved archaeology since I was a child and it sounds cliché to say but I do believe that I was inspired by Indiana Jones. What wasn’t to like, far-away lands, danger and mystery! I spent many a sunny day with my friends digging up my back garden trying to find the next Tutankhamun, spurred on by my mum who would fuel us with endless supplies of blackcurrant squash. One day I triumphantly held up a half-penny coin ‘Look what I’ve found!!’ all my friends gathered around as we stared at the coin in wonder, I turned the coin over in my hand and removed the mud, revealing the date 1965. I had so many questions, I took the coin to show-and-tell and to the local museum and I found out about all the different world events that happened in 1965 and why we don’t have half-penny’s anymore.

This is exactly why I love archaeology as it provides a window into the past allowing us to understand the world we live in now and how this world has been shaped by events in the past. I eventually went on to study archaeology at university and now I work for The Young Archaeologists’ Club as a Volunteer Co-ordinator. What I love about my job is knowing that the network of YAC Branches and six hundred volunteers are all bringing archaeology to life to enthuse and inspire the next generation of budding archaeologists.