Sarah Gyngell

Current position

PhD Candidate and Research Assistant at La Trobe University

Where did you study?

BSc/BA (Honours) University of Sydney

How did you become interested in archaeology?

I was interested in ancient history from a young age, and loved the idea of marine archaeology as a teenager because I could combine scuba diving with uncovering history. After my first overseas fieldwork trip in Jordan I was gripped by the Near East and prehistory.

What archaeological projects are you working on at the moment?

I am principally working on my PhD research which is examining artefact distributions and refuse practices at the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A site Zahrat adh-Dhra‘ 2 (9,200 - 8,300 cal BC), located to the south-east of the Dead Sea in Jordan. The site is significant for its evidence of ‘pre-domestication cultivation’ and as one of the final PPNA sites in the southern Levant.

Tell us about one of your most interesting archaeological discoveries.

While conducting survey work in Jordan's Black Desert we came across numerous lithic scatters and I found a beautiful el-Khiam point dating to the early neolithic.

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

So many funny stories working in crazy weather conditions, from being drenched atop a tell to losing track of time and running out of water in the desert. Slightly disastrous and funny was using a kite as a drone and attempting to run underneath it over hundreds of basalt rocks trying not to stack it and catch the gopro before it crashed when the wind dropped. Having the military suddenly show up and ask us what we were doing there was fun too.

What’s your favourite part of being an archaeologist?

There's so much I love about it! Big highlights are working in the field, travelling, meeting lots of new and interesting people, and working on fascinating projects.