考古学英文个人陈述╱介绍.doc

(一) I have always had a fascination with the archaeological world. Archaeology provides me with the opportunity to question how my ancestors lived, worked, survived and created what is now the world today. My interest in learning about humanitys past arose from when I was a child, where I was captivated with artifacts in museums. It provided a forum which was to my imagination and introduced me to experimental archaeology.As I have matured, my enthusiasm and excitement for archaeology has grown after visits to Chester and York, where I was able to appreciate not only the archaeological artifacts found in these places, but also the magnificence of the standing buildings that remain today. This lead to a particular interest and eagerness to learn more about the ways of everyday life for the people living in the ancient world, in particular the Roman Empire.My A-level study of archaeology has demonstrated my commitment to learning techniques, methods and theories needed to engage in effective research, excavations, delicacy and preservation of artifacts. Reading books such as Archaeology is Rubbish by Tony Robinson and Excavation by Steve Roskams has continued my studies. These books have provided me with extra knowledge of how to deal with specialist sites, such as waterlogged and underwater excavations. Additionally, they have developed my understanding of techniques used by archaeologists to gain the most accurate results when reconstructing the past.A-Level Religion and Philosophy has extended my knowledge of archaeological aspects such as Roman religion and ritual. Moreover, geology has developed my understanding of how geological features can impact the landscape, which is essential for desktop archaeology and investigating settlement. Geology has also increased my ability to date and provide a location as to where certain artifacts may have come from. I have experienced hands on archaeology at the Dig centre in York. This developed my practical methods of excavation and interpretation of artifacts. The Dig centre gave me the opportunity to familiarise myself with animal bones and how they can be used to help archaeologists in recreating the past. I have a particular interest for many sports including, karate, rugby and athletics. My commitment to Karate has earned me the rank of 1st Dan black belt, which has qualified me for the teaching of the subject, and given me effective leadership qualities. Similarly in rugby, I am in the process of becoming a qualified referee. This has been a valuable experience as it has developed my team leading, and team work skills. My extensive work within the college has gained me a position on the college council as enrichment representative; where I have brought the students and staff closer together. Subsequently, the responsibility and trust placed in me to do this job has provided me with excellent communication and organization skills. Furthermore, as illustrated above, I am a conscientious, hardworking student and Im more than willing to accept and overcome new challenges that I may face during a place at higher education.（二） What excites me about archaeology is the excitement and anticipation from finding those missing pieces of the jigsaw that make up our past. My earliest recollection of archaeology was from 10 years ago when my parents took me on holiday to the Greek island of Kos and whilst there, we visited the Asklepion ruins, and I was amazed by what had remained from Greek times. Being told this place was thousands of years old and that people had worked and lived there fascinated me, and from that moment on I wanted to find out more about how it was possible to discover so much about the past. This began my passion for archaeology. My interest has been further fuelled as I visited numerous other archaeological sites and historical areas over the years, such as the Hardknott Pass Roman Fort. I find it incredible that, by using archaeology and examining even the smallest fragments, the nature of each building can be determined, when there is only a shallow wall visible above the ground.In particular, Im most interested in the “hands-on” aspect of archaeology, the digging and discovering of artifacts. Additionally Im really looking forward to being out in the field and being able to travel and discover the secrets of different places. To increase my knowledge I have read a number of books but my favourites are, Britain AD and Britain BC by Francis Pryor and Techniques of Archaeological Excavation by Philip Barker. It is my ambition to continue my higher education to get a Masters or a PhD, ultimately to become a university lecturer or museum curator.Most Saturdays, I am a volunteer worker at Flag Fen, Britains Bronze Age Centre. Based in the Heritage Centre, my responsibilities have included explaining the site and its history to visitors, and Im currently involved with the archiving of sites photos and artifacts.At my secondary school I achieved the Junior Sports Leadership Award from the teaching of team games to children of a local Primary School and I was chosen to be a school prefect. I was part of my schools netball, hockey and athletics team and participated in various inter house competitions. Whilst at 6th Form I have become my tutor groups student voice representative on the school council and I also spend some of my lunchtimes supervising younger pupils. I am also currently part of team for promoting Lincolnshire to the younger generation and the Team for Promoting Road Safety. I have also been part of the Grammar School Ladies Rugby Team since joining the school.Aside from my studies and school activities I have strong interests in reading, sports, music and travel. I enjoy reading a variety of books, ranging from historical biographies to fictional fantasy. As well as being a member of my schools rugby team, I have also been a player in the Gosberton Poachers, a local hockey team and I am an active member of a successful ten pin bowling team. I enjoy traveling and have been to many different countries, including Spain, France and Greece, and I always make particular effort to learn as much of the local language as I can. At the moment I am learning Italian. Furthermore with an interest in music, Im learning to play the guitar and in the past I have played tenor horn in a brass band and sung in various choirs.I have an inquisitive mind, and am extremely interested in archaeology and will work hard to achieve my goals. The prospect of university life excites me and I know the opportunities presented to me and the experiences will be invaluable. University will help me further develop as a person, to become fully independent and fulfil my dreams.(三)古代史 My attraction to Archaeology and Ancient History has been shaped by my understanding that the past is incredibly important in our modern lifestyles; two years ago when I visited Rome for the first time I truly appreciated what this meant. I fell in love with the city because of the way that it was so connected with its history, physically and culturally, but also because through the presentation of its ancient ruins it still retained an echo of the people who lived there. I think a great deal of my passion for these subjects lies in the idea of learning about putting voices to people of cultures long lost to us now, but also in becoming a part of charting our social evolution through historical and scientific methods.Through studying Classical Civilisations, I have been inspired to branch out from books I knew well like the Odyssey to read further a field. For example, I have looked at more ancient literature like the Epic of Gilgamesh, but also at other types of writing such as Aristotles Poetics and Aristophanes Birds. Expanding my reading base has helped broaden my insight into Ancient culture and into how much of our great writing we owe to techniques and styles developed in the past. This has shown me the importance of language in the original text, spurring my interest in Latin and Greek. This summer I was lucky enough to be able to attend an archaeological field school in Cornwall under the tuition of renowned experimental archaeologist, Jacqui Wood. This allowed me to experience what field archaeology was like, and to gain important skills such as section drawing, finds processing and archaeological planning. This proved to me that my choice to switch colleges so that I was able to study Archaeology was one that really reflected what I wanted to do in the future. In AS level Archaeology, as well as the various practical techniques, we studied ritual activity in Pre-historic Britain. I enjoyed this in particular because it had links to Anthropology and was so different from the modern ritual and religious activity I knew about. Although I enjoyed the AS, the A2 was not available at my college so I have now begun to help another student who is currently taking the AS course.Over the past few years I have often traveled so as to experience other cultures in conjunction with my studies. An example of this is that last year I had the opportunity to go to Shanghai where for three weeks I learnt about Chinese arts, geography, culture and the Mandarin language. Shanghai was an extreme culture shock for me, but through getting to know the Chinese students and visiting places of cultural importance I learnt valuable communication skills and made friends that I have kept and wish to continue to keep in future.My work experience consisted of two weeks as a classroom assistant at a local infant school. By working with the children and adults I learnt to cope with tasks under a lot of pressure but also to finish important tasks that I was not pushed to do and was expected to do of my own accord. I have also been made my form council representative which gives me the opportunity to help my fellow classmates by putting forward their opinions in student council meetings to help make the college a better environment.I am always willing to work as hard as possible in order to do well and am particularly goal orientated. By changing college I have learnt to take responsibility for my independent learning and expect more of myself, increasing my dedication to studying these subjects that I feel so involved with at a higher level. I feel that because of this University would be an ideal working environment for me as well as being somewhere I have always wanted to go.（四） Why does a 2000 year old, long gone civilization, have such a continuing and profound impact on modern society? Its hard to put my fascination with the Romans and other ancient civilizations into words. Being able to study archaeology with the depth and rigour that university requires will take me on an intellectual journey that may raise more questions than answers but will be a source of lifelong discovery, not only about the Romans but, perhaps, about modern society as well.What interests me the most in archaeology is the thought of discovering the unknown, being able to further piece together aspects of our past and even now I try to accomplish these feats by reading books to discover more and more. Favourites of mine include Roman Sussex by Miles Russel, Roman Warfare by Adrian Goldsworthy and Britain in the Middle Ages an Archaeological History by Francis Pryor. Moving from Australia to England has given me the exciting opportunity to pursue the career I want in a country filled which such an extensive amount of history. Everywhere I look you can find old churches, houses and buildings which when I gaze upon them fill me excitement and anticipation that there is just so much more to learn.My final two years of high school saw me develop more as a person and in this year my fascination in archaeology continued even more. This is reflected in the subject areas I studied which included both Ancient and Modern History which allowed me to develop my skills in aspects of the past. During this time I was accepted into the leadership program in order to develop my leadership skills and this resulted in being appointed to the positions of school prefect and house captain which helped me develop my teamwork skills as part of the Prefect Body. Furthermore I was an active member of the 1 st XV Rugby Team and in my final year I was awarded the Ruben F Scarf award for commitment.I know that being accepted a place at university will allow me to continue to pursue my love of archaeology but it will also allow me to give something back to the university in the way of my personal interests. Apart from history include sports (I have been active cricket player since I was 7 and I also enjoy rugby, soccer, tennis, squash and table tennis), entertainment, music, technology, computing and reading (I enjoy books that range from fantasy through to crime fiction). I believe that these interests will allow me to give something back to the university in a positive way.The thought of going to university is one that fills me with excitement and I know that should I be accepted I will work to the best of my ability. I have always been a hard worker and this combined with studying in a subject that interests me I know that I will work to the best of my ability and be extremely dedicated in what I do. The prospects that a university education will provide me will mean the wealth to me and it will give me a chance to fulfil my dreams and ambitions of becoming an archaeologist.（五） I have always had a keen interest in exploring the past. When I was ten years old, I first visited an archaeological dig in Scotland and I have been fascinated by archaeology ever since. I have kept up my interest by visiting museums and historical sites. This summer I visited the Bayeux Tapestry, the Mary Rose exhibition in Portsmouth and the Megaliths at Carnac. I like to read books on archaeology and regularly watch television programmes on the subject. I collect fossils and minerals, and try to collect my own specimens from the field whenever possible. My collection is catalogued, and growing at the timeI have tried to get involved with archaeology as much as I an. At High School I joined the Archaeology Club and became the Club Secretary, I also joined the Chorley Young Archaeologists Club and still help with the Club today. This summer I joined the Clubs annual excavation, supervising the children and gaining some hands on experience myselfI am currently studying A-level Earth Science, Environmental Science and C20th History. Both Earth Science and History have developed my skills in interpreting the past, and all of my subjects have helped me to develop data handling and presentation skills especially when doing fieldwork. In my first year at College, I studied A-level Politics because of my interest in current affairs, however at the beginning of my second year I decided to change direction and concentrate on taking both Earth and Environmental ScienceDuring my time at College, I have been on several field trips and a visit to Edinburgh where we visited several art galleries. I have recently been on a History trip to Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic, where we had the chance to visit many sites relating to my History course including the concentration camp KZ Mauthausen. I will shortly be visiting Arromanches in France to undertake fieldwork for both Earth and Environmental Science, I hope to gain even more experience of working in the fieldAt School and College I have always tried to get involved as much as possible. At High School I was a School Prefect and a Year 7 Form helper, and was involved in two German School exchanges. I was a member of the School Orienteering Team, and twice attended the British Schools Championships. Outside School, I took the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award and joined a local youth drama groupI have a weekend job at a local garden centre where I undertake a range of duties and have learned a great deal about the care of plants. At High School, I went on a two-week work experience to Beacon Country Park, where I worked with the Rangers on practical conservation tasks. I have been in contact with the County Archaeology Officer and a museum and hope to arrange some work experience for after my A-levelsI am interested in music and have recently become involved with the College Radio, where I play a set once a week. I enjoy visiting art galleries, and this summer visited the Musee DOrsay in Paris and the Tate in St. Ives. I love travelling and want to visit a range of other countries where I can meet people and experience other culturesI am an organised person who works well in a group and on my own. I am sociable and easy-going and enjoy meeting new people. I am strongly motivated to study Archaeology as I have been enthusiastic about the subject for many years and would love to pursue a career in this field after graduating. If given a place to study Archaeology at University, I would be determined to succeed（六） I have decided to choose Archaeology as my university course as I find the subject extremely interesting and I enjoy studying History a great deal. I currently am studying History at AS level along with AS level Art, A level Biology and A level EnglishLast year I did not enjoy AS Psychology and I decided to drop the subject and pick up two AS levels in which I had a greater interestThis year I am far happier with my subjects and it has led me to become more focused and determined to produce work that is to the best of my ability. I am certainly interested in Archaeology as a career and I find the prospect exciting however, if this was not to come about, the skills that I will obtain from taking the course, will definitely improve my chances of attaining a job in a related field or perhaps in an unrela