In my experience, a lot of volunteer archaeologists are undergraduates of an archaeology program - it's a period in which, like many other industries, one can work for free in order to 'pay their dues' to the archaeology world while gaining experience and making contacts with established professionals. To those who may be interested in an academic base for archaeology, I have this piece of advice: consider the various specialties and sub-categories available so that you can choose an institution that (at minimum) can cater to your needs - or better yet, has established faculty members who share your area of interest. There are a lot of sub-disciplines, and while I won't endeavour to make an exhaustive list here, let me point out a few so that the differences become apparent.

First - Classical Archaeology. This arguably vague title doesn't mention a specific geographical location, and only hints at a basic time period. However, in translation from jargon, the title actually refers to the study of the "Classical World" - that is, the world that has left us the literature that has acquired 'classical' status in Western civilization. Specifically, this refers to the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations, between the eighth century B.C. and the fourth century A.D. (Susan E. Alcock, Robin Osborne: Classical Archaeology, Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2007, p 1).

(Francois Vase by Kleitias and Ergotimos, 570/560 B.C., Museo Archeologico in Florence)

Other disciplines have more specific titles, but a similarly wide focus. Egyptology, for example, is 'the study of all aspects of ancient Egypt' (Richard H. Wilkinson: Egyptology Today, Cambridge University Press 2008, p. 1) from the 5th millennium B.C. until the end of the Roman rule in the 4th century A.D. It is a study of the culture as a whole within the period: language, history, art, religion, ethics and economics. Because of the wealth of well-preserved artefacts, Egypt continues to be an archaeological hub.

(Death Mask of Tutankhamun, 1325 B.C., Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo)

Similarly, American Archaeology - including Mesoamerican Archaeology - covers, as the name implies, the immensely broad area of North America, Central America (Mesoamerica), South America, and the Caribbean. This enormous geographical spread is subdivided into separate specialties, and further into periods of time: the Lithic period (before 8000 B.C.), the Archaic period (from 8000 B.C to 1000 B.C.), the Formative period (from 1000 B.C. to A.D. 500), the Classic period (from A.D. 500 to 1200) and the Post-Classic period (from A.D. 1200 onward).



 (Chichen Itza, probably built as early as A.D. 600, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico)

There are also specialties which pertain to (and require) more specific skill sets within for excavation. Underwater Archaeology is a sub-group that is practiced mostly underwater, either by the archaeologists themselves (scuba diving or otherwise making use of some breathing apparatus) or by remote-controlled machines. In the Maritime Archaeology sub-group, shipwrecks are often the primary focus - although not all sites are necessarily found underwater. Other potential sites would include 'cities and harbours now submerged by sea level change or earthquake; and dwelling, agricultural, and industrial sites along rivers, bays, and lakes' (http://www.acuaonline.org/what-is-underwater-archaeology). Some very well-known shipwrecks, such as the Mary Rose - which was raised in 1982 and is now hosted in the Mary Rose Museum at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard - give archaeologists a collection of preserved human artefacts from the moment in time when the ship was lost.

(SS Carnatic, built in 1862, hit reef at Sha'ab Abu Nuhas (Red Sea) on 12 September 1869)

The last sub-discipline I'll mention for now (feel free to inquire about others or mention your own specialty) is Prehistoric Archaeology. The specifics of this sub-group are so widespread that the definition isn't consistently agreed upon - it's the study of past before the beginning of historical recordings, and since different parts of the globe developed civilizations at different rates, one region of the world may be in a different era than another at a given date. The standard divisions of time also have subcategories: the Stone Age (including the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods), the Bronze Age, and Iron Age are common umbrella periods, but can all be further subdivided as required (Derek A. Roe: Prehistory: an introduction, University of California Press 1972, p. 18).

(Stonehenge, County of Wiltshire England, erected between 3000 B.C. and 2500 B.C.)

 

This isn't intended to scare off enterprising archaeologists-in-training, but rather to demonstrate the vastness of the archaeological world and perhaps pique a little curiosity. If you're interested in studying at a post-secondary level, have a look at the faculty you'll be dealing with and their individual specialties - you may find that a specialty you didn't even know existed becomes a life-long passion.