Alexander Priest

Current position

Archaeological Subconsultant (2022-2024).

Where did you study?

Macquarie University (2019-2022)

How did you become interested in archaeology?

I always have had a love for history, past civilizations and present and also the outdoors so from an early age I knew I wanted to connect these passions in the pursuit of archaeology, I would say from the age of six onwards. I am also high-functioning autistic so from as early as I can remember I hyperfixated on heaps of historical periods and cultures and just learnt and read all I could stand to, and this led to a really broad knowledge base when it comes to both history and archaeology...and all my other random hobbies that have almost all flourished due to hyperfixation.

What archaeological projects are you working on at the moment?

I have worked on a fieldschool project in Portugal (Castello de Cuncos) in January 2020 and in NSW I have worked on many historical and Aboriginal digs, with around two years fieldwork experience to date. These excavations cover a wide geographical area from Shellharbour, to Newcastle, to Wagga Wagga, working under several awesome companies and with great teams.

Tell us about one of your most interesting archaeological discoveries.

I actually can't give full details on the most fascinating finds unearthed by me or in my presence out of respect for the Traditional Owners of this land but suffice to say I have already seen some artefacts that have been truly eye-opening and incredible. Without giving specifics these range from artfully and precise weapons created all over NSW to some unique spiritual/ceremonial objects.

In historical archaeology I have found artefacts of all shapes and sizes however the most interesting would have to be some architectural footprints of convict era huts in the form of postholes/clay bases.

Tell us about a funny / disastrous / amazing experience that you have had while doing archaeology.

I'll start with a funny one. You can be in some super remote places for Aboriginal archaeology and this requires a 4WD right? Right?! Well in the case of one company I have worked for this didn't seem to be the case and when our senior arch tried getting a 2WD manual ute through a mud bog they well, got bogged. We then spent a solid two hours across the rest of the work day with a neighbouring farmer’s tractor getting the ute free and leveraging it out very sketchily with a four by four plank.

Another experience, this time more amazing than funny, was when we had the privilege of unearthing the wall footings of an Iberian Fort at Castello de Cuncos in January 2020 and also broke ground on that site. This was my very first real fieldwork experience so the memory of finding such an important site will forever be a moment of pride. Later in the dig we found a Roman spear head imbedded in the fort’s wall footing as if it had been stabbed in there, the wooden portion breaking and it for whatever reason it was just left for us to find in situ!

What’s your favourite part of being an archaeologist?

Knowing that in the field, the methodology that I follow, the quality of the work I conduct and depending on my own passionate diligence, how broad and precise a picture is painted. It truly is a job where we bring the past to life and I love just about every moment of it.....except maybe bailing water from trenches.

Follow up reading.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-r-priest-6422291b3?originalSubdomain=au