What type of challenges do archaeologists face? Why?

Answer 1

We face massive misunderstanding on the part of much of the general public as to what it is we do for a living.

Funding, as metioned by another responder is a major problem. "Sexy" projects get money and attention, equally important but less attractive projects may not because they aren't seen as public relations opportunities.

There is often resistance to survey/public/salvage archaeology on the part of local residents in an area (not just "natives"), especially if undertaking an excavation to, for example, salvage a site before a highway is built delays the highway project by a few months. Archaeologists are often seen as meddlers in local affairs. In addition, there is a suprising number of people who think that most archaeological material is just garbage anyway or not worth studying at all. And a remarkable number of people don't think archaeology is a "real job."

For those who work overseas, there is the challenge of working far from home, often they are unable to bring finds back with them (even temporarily on loan) for analysis, forcing them to find the time, money, and equipment to do analysis in the field in addition to excavation.

There are ongoing problems of site preservation in the face of development (see above), and in the face of looting or robbery. There are cases of archaeologists working in some areas being threatened or in some cases actually facing physical violence from looters. Usually this is because the looters don't want to face either loosing their sorce of artifacts for sale (legal or illegal, depending on the area) or don't want to face legal repurcussions if their actions are clearly illegal.
Tied into this are the collectors, both private individuals and museums, the world over who buy artifacts off the art market either not caring, or turning a blind eye to the illegal looting and sale of artifacts. They are providing a market for looters, a very lucrative market.
Looting is an extremely damaging practice. Much of what archaeological investigation and reconstruction is about is context - where an artifact was found in relation to other artifacts, buildings, features, etc. When someone simply removes valuable objects from a site for sale, we loose that context, and thus loose some of the information we could have gained from it. And the process of digging for those valuable objects destroys other parts of the site. It's not as though the guys out there with shovels in the dark are exactly keeping detailed records. In addition to loosing the context of the object, the nation/culture to whom the object technically "belongs" is also loosing their property. While a number of looters steal artifacts to literally feed their familes, just as many looters do it simply for the money or, in some cases, for the thrill and the pleasure of "putting one over on the stuffy university archaeologists."
Sort of connected to this problem, though generally on a much smaller scale are "amateur archaeologists" or arrowhead hunters, especially in the US. While these people usually have no idea that they're doing any harm or that, in some cases they're breaking the law, they're also "looting" though on a small scale.

Another challenge is what I'll simply call the crazy people. The people who swear that aliens built the pyramids with help from survivors from Atlantis. These people, quite simply, have no idea what they're talking about. They refuse to listen to reasoned arguments from experts and frequently condemn professional archaeologists and other scholars as being "close-minded" when their "new, forward thinking" ideas are refuted. Quite frankly, arguing with these people is very much like arguing with a religious fanatic - they're so attached to their ideas that they simply will not let them go, no matter how much evidence contradicting their theories you provide. While one doesn't necessarily have to be a professional to make a contribution to the field, we professionals have spent years of our lives studying the subject, are familiar with the material, and are, frankly, better equipped to evaluate the evidence at hand. That's why we went to school. And while archaeology is not a hard science, there are standards of research, methodology, and scholastic practice that the majority of alternative theorists seem to be either utterly unaware of, or that they simply ignore. They rarely conform to any sort of standard of academic dialogue, preferring instead to rely upon ad hominem attacks of either individual scholars or the profession as a whole and they seem to adore painting themselves as misunderstood genius-martyrs.
It doesn't help that a number of supposedly "educational" channels frequently run programs about "alternative theories" that misleadingly suggest that such theories are seriously supported by any evidence or that there really are "big huge unsolved mysteries" about certain aspects of the past. Yes, there are still "unsolved mysteries," but these programs blow them out of proportion, usually feature talking-heads who have no qualifications to speak of, and rarely, if ever, offer mainstream professionals an opportunity to evaluate their "theories."
While I applaud people's enthusiasm regarding history and archaeology, I find it very tiresome to have to constantly cope with the same misunderstandings, most of which are caused by irresponsible "educational" programs and junk literature. In some cases, it's gotten to the point where I tend to avoid mentioning what I do for a living when meeting new people until I can be fairly certain that I'm not going to be treated to a long diatribe about ancient aliens and how I'm part of a vast conspiracy to "hide the truth." I do enjoy talking about what I do for a living, but I don't enjoy the nonsense I occasionally get from people (up to and including threats on occasion) who cling to some pretty weird ideas.

Answer 2

What Challenges Do Archaeologists Face

Answer 3

shoveling_ferret certainly gets my vote for the best answer.

But, if you like long hours, being in the outdoors, getting dirty ( except for those rare mutants who seem to keep clean no matter what), infrequent paying jobs, and do not mind people asking you how many dinosaurs you have found, then archaeology is for you! sign up today!

in all seriousness, facing deadlines while trying to remain a professional is about the hardest thing about being an archaeologist. you must make decisions based on an incomplete picture of a potential site; so that a developer can build a brand new housing tract on time.
Cultural Resource Management = find nothing and get paid.
But if you like mysteries, and do not mind putting in the time and getting an education, archaeology is a rewarding field for a true lover of history. Only a real archaeologist can change the history books!!

Answer 4

1. Time is not on their side. Places that would be good archeological sites are being found... and then paved over soon after, because they were uncovered as a result of someone's construction project. This happens a lot in Italy and Greece!

2. Funding. Sometimes you just don't have the funding to mount that expedition to the caves of Ecuador where you think you'll discover the lost ...er, something.

3. Objections by "natives" living nearby. You unearth something at your site, and the "natives" claim it's their ancestor, and want it so they can rebury it with proper dignity, instead of letting your fellow archeologists study it.
See Kennewick Man for an example of this.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennewick_Man

Answer 5

Nobody takes them seriously. Also getting lucky is a problem. They are very patient people.

Answer 6

They have to create answers for questions that haven't yet been asked.

Answer 7

Mainly not being paid well.