SA: How do you use technology?
BP: We use many different machines that can help us interpret the artifacts we find. For example, one called a mass spectrometer analyzes the chemical composition of artifacts. Knowing the chemical composition helps us identify where an object was made. And if it was found far from that area, then we can start to reconstruct trade patterns between cultures. We also can use CT scanners to discover what is inside an object, such as a mummy’s coffin, without having to open and potentially damage it.
SA: When did you know you wanted to be an archaeologist?
BP: I took an anthropology class in college, and I thought it was boring. My professor noticed that I wasn’t into it, so he invited me to his lab. He showed me some stone tools and pottery and explained that it was all left behind by the first farmers in northern Europe. It was really interesting, and I asked so many questions. My professor talked to me for three hours, and I remember thinking, “Wow, this guy loves what he does so much that he is willing to talk to some slacker.”