Best Archaeology Projects and News Feeds on Twitter

Guess what? Twitter is not just for those obsessed with modern technology. For the lovers or students of history, and especially archaeology, there are plenty of places on the web that you can explore the latest news, theories and discoveries. As well as learning about the old ones that you might not know about.

See? The Internet isn't just spam and Lolcats.



But one rather unexpected place to find information is Twitter, the social networking 160-character site that everyone seems to use. There are a number of news pages, organization accounts and more for you to check out. Here are some of the best that are must follows for any archaeology lover.

Archaeology News

This is Twitter's home for archaeology and history news. They update often, usually every few hours and sometimes even sooner. They provide a ton of links to interesting stories in the news, often from sources like Topix and EurekaAlert about the latest discoveries and theories.

ArchaeologyDaily

A wider science news source, they provide headlines on archaeology, paleontology, anthropology and fossils. They only update every few days, but when they do they provide a large list of updates through that day. They have a tendency to find more obscure news not usually in the main journals.

Rosella Lorenzi

You might know Rosella from her place on the Discovery News correspondent team. She specializes in archaeology, and provides links to her own stories on Discovery News, among others. She hasn't updated in a few weeks, which is unfortunate. But she is worth a follow.

Talking Pyramids

Videos, photos and links related to ancient Egypt are regularly shared here. They are big updaters, so you will often get four or five links in a single hour. You can also find some decent reblogs, which give you more information from well known institutes and experts in the field of the Egyptians.

David Connolly

Famous archeologist (who often refers to himself as a "loose canon") David Connolly is very well known for his work in the field. He has his own Twitter account, which he updates almost obsessively with a ton of information from himself and others. He has some great comments on current projects that he keeps people current on. Plus, he occasionally follows.

Culture 24

For a more focused look on overall culture, including museums, galleries and heritage sites, this UK based organization is great to watch. Their updates are a little random, as they will post a dozen links on day and then nothing for a few days. But they have some great information through here.

Campus Archaeology

This is the official Twitter of Michigan State Universities archaeology department. They comment on current projects and studies, recent news, what is going on at MSU and general comments on the field of study.

The Gabii Project

A smallish project based on ancient Gabii in Central Italy, this group of archeologists don't get nearly enough exposure. You can help change that by becoming their Twitter follower. They have a collection of updates on the project itself, while informing of others that need support.

NE Asia Archaeology

These Harvard affiliated archeologists cover NE Asia, specifically China, Japan, Korea, Russian Far East, Eastern Siberia and Mongolia. They update semi regularly with relevant and interesting bits of news in the region, such as the recent uncovering of the oldest known human remains in Japan.

The Archaeological Box

This networking hot spot for archaeological foundations and projects covers news, profiles, events, field schools and study programs, which is aiming to connect people for easier information sharing. They update a lot, and they have some news I haven't seen anywhere else. It is like a hub for various societies.

Conclusion

Twitter is an unexpected place to find the latest Twitter news and connect with others who have the same interests. What are some of your favorite social hotspots for archaeology chat? Let us know in the comments.

Jessy is a creative guest blogger for Life Insurance Finder, the free resource on finding best insurance plans. We create lots of educational material as well like this article on Sickness and Accident Insurance.

Image credits: 1, 2.

Twitter Users Speak Out: Reasons Why You Became An Archaeologist

After my recent epic tale entitled 30 Reasons Why You Should Become An Archaeologist, I took to twitter to find out why archaeologists in the field really chose their profession. Was it glamour? Was it the money? We all know there’s not that much unless you suddenly become the face of a syndicated history show. 

Here are the real reasons why these individuals became archaeologists.

1. You think the labs at museums are way cooler than the exhibits.~ventur514 (Eric Shertz)
2. No degree needed - just mad skillz. I've worked w/many fellow refugees from humanities-degree-land!~lisagrimm
3. The Summer after finishing a B.A. in Economics, I went on a field school & it changed my life. Love finding stuff in the dirt!~circledigs
4. I enjoy rifling through peoples rubbish- it was this or tabloid journalism~transit_monkey
5. I love everything that's old: old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wine." but mainly the wine ...~YorksArch
6. I became an archaeologist because; as far as I can tell, it's the reason God made me. This is why I exist.~JohnGallinPi
7. What would it be like to follow in the footsteps of Indiana Jones :-) Serious, I prefer fact to fantasy.~jdarch1
8. So I could get paid for picking things up off the ground!~archaeocore
9. It's a field that balances physical & intellectual work with the reward of showing the variety of cultures through time.~processarch
10. I went to field school in Israel and discovered my heart is still in the balk. I'll to keep excavating and find it. ~mknowles22
11. I wanted the chance to hold something in my hands that was thousands of years old. An artifact untouched from another century or era is pretty amazing.~AncientDigger

I want to thank each and every Twitter user for contributing to this list. For new readers, I think it’s important to hear the truth from the archaeologists in the field.