Pedro Silva
Name
Pedro Silva
Current position
Graduate Heritage Consultant – Historical Archaeology Team – Artefact Heritage
Where did you study?
Institute of Archaeology, Coimbra University, Portugal
How did you become interested in archaeology?
My interest in History has always been present since I was a kid. I avidly watched documentaries and shows about anything related to the past. As I grew up, I became keener on the great outdoors, and my curiosity led me to find Archaeology. I then realised this was the best of those two worlds, and there was no turning back.
What archaeological projects are you working on at the moment?
I have previously worked in the industry in my home country of Portugal. I moved to Australia a few years ago (2012). Shortly after I arrived, I worked very, very briefly (1 week) here in Australia as a casual at a dig in Western Sydney, but for most of my time here, I worked in the furniture industry. I’ve recently returned to the field (2022), and I’m restarting my career in Heritage Consulting and very excited about it!
Tell us about one of your most interesting archaeological discoveries.
At an ancient Roman necropolis archaeological dig, I once found a very well-preserved comb among the ash remains of a person. This was a very touching find as it would’ve been an object of regular use, and important enough to this person for it to be in their final resting place.
Tell us about a funny / disastrous / amazing experience that you have had while doing archaeology.
Funny story: Back in my student days and on my first dig, I worked on a trench with a colleague for a couple of weeks. We went through all the steps from setting the grid, georeferencing, clearing the top vegetation and gradually digging down. We dug and found many artefacts, mostly common ceramics, and a few features (some walls and stairs) but nothing major or too exciting (even for a student). At the end of those two weeks, a senior archaeologist came by to have a look and immediately pointed out: “look, you have a coin right there!”. Facepalm! We toiled under the sun all that time just to see someone else, albeit much more experienced, come round and find the most curious artefact in our trench. All in good fun, though!
What’s your favourite part of being an archaeologist?
Having a flexible work environment between office and fieldwork. Whenever on a dig or a survey, I get a thrill when coming upon an artefact. However, sometimes, it’s only later, after researching and analysing that finding’s context, that I get a complete picture, and my amazement is genuinely realised. Too much of one aspect can become tiresome, but interchanging keeps me motivated and filled with purpose.
Follow up reading.