Hi! I’m Dustin, The Starving Archaeologist. Why “starving”, you might ask? That’s because I’m currently navigating the challenging path toward becoming an academic archaeologist.
I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Archaeology and Culture of the Ancient Near East from Lycoming College and a Master’s Degree in Archaeology from Boston University. When I started this blog in 2016, I was struggling to gain admission into a PhD program where I could continue to pursue my research interests in archaeology and ancient Roman history and culture primarily by studying material evidence. I’ve since had the good fortune of being admitted into the Mediterranean Art and Archaeology program at the University of Virginia!
My Vision
Over the almost 6 years I’ve operated this blog, the vision for my career has changed a little. Originally, I was laser focused on the process and achievement of becoming a faculty member at a higher education institution teaching and conducting research in classical archaeology. While that is still certainly the goal, it’s not the only acceptable outcome. After doing some reflection, I’ve realized my vision is oriented around a commitment to participate in the positive contributions of archaeology as a Humanities discipline and a Social Science to society. In other words, how can I use archaeology collaboratively to make the world a better place? I’ll save that reflection for a blog post, but my concise vision is that I want archaeology to be accessible, relatable, and understandable for everyone! By existing as a platform where I can share my research progress, travel experiences, and reflections on archaeology, The Starving Archaeologist is a first step in doing just that!
Research
Trying to answer the questions that drive my research is a whole process – lots of reading, collaborating, brainstorming, writing, re-writing, presenting, and so on. If I’m lucky, I can narrow down a plan that will receive funding and provide the opportunity to travel someplace new and interact with new material hands-on. I hope that I can shed just a little light on how that all works!
Travel
Life, most especially my archaeological career, has taken me to a whirlwind of destinations. These adventures have afforded me the opportunity to experience a kaleidoscope of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures. I’d be remiss to not share those as best as I can with the world!
Archaeology
Archaeology is a unique discipline. It’s scholars (including me, hehe) are focused on what the material remains of the past can indicate about the present. It’s got a long, entangled, and sometimes problematic past; nevertheless, I find it incredibly useful and interesting to unpack all of that!
This blog is a chronicle of images and stories of my travels, a showcase of progress in my research, and explorations into what Archaeology is and why it’s important. Thanks for reading!
Please feel free to follow me on Instagram (@starvingarchaeologist) and twitter (@starvingarchaeo) or email me if you have any questions or comments!
The Starving Archaeologist 