Paul Howard
Current position
Archaeologist and Environmental Officer.
Where did you study?
University of New England and University of Wollongong.
How did you become interested in archaeology?
My grandparents. They had many National Geographics and books. One book in particular was on archaeology. I opened it to Tutankhamun and my nan said she had a ring from his tomb she acquired from a millionaire. I became obsessed, I found out it was just costume jewellery, but that sparked a flame in me that never died.
What archaeological projects are you working on at the moment?
Highway upgrade in Alaska.
Tell us about one of your most interesting archaeological discoveries.
Human mandible with teeth still in it, coins from 1883 in the Hunter Valley, a massive chert quarry in South Australia and a water embankment in Cambodia.
Tell us about a funny / disastrous / amazing experience that you have had while doing archaeology.
When a cow used the side wall of my test pit to scratch its head and inevitably collapsed the side wall.
What’s your favourite part of being an archaeologist?
The travel and the buzz I still get when I find something.
Follow up reading.