Early birds brave heat of desert to dig up past

At 5:30 am, Zhang Ran, research associate with the Department of Archaeology at the University of Durham in the United Kingdom, and a team of colleagues prepare for a day of excavations near the coast in Ras al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.

Zhang researches the Chinese ceramics industry, with his main studies focusing on maritime trade in the Western Indian Ocean from the 9th to 16th centuries.

Part of his research is based on data from archaeological reports gathered at ceramic kiln sites in China and coastal sites and collections in the Western Indian Ocean area.

"I did my undergraduate training in Beijing, and in 2018 I started my Master of Arts research at the University of Durham, studying pottery and archaeological work," Zhang said.

His research took him to Ras al-Khaimah, where Chinese ceramics have been discovered.

"We get the team together and then leave for the site, where we arrive at around 7:30 am to start work," Zhang said.

The site is divided into trenches, with a maximum of two workers allocated to each.

"The diggers have to clean and bring the soil to the surface, before it is sieved to make sure nothing is lost from the site," Zhang said.

He added that his role in the project is to dig, take photos, draw and record the findings, as well as providing his expertise on Chinese ceramics.

At noon, the team takes lunch to gain some respite from the temperature in the desert, which can reach as high as 40 C.

"We start work again at about 2:30 pm. This is an ideal schedule due to our location, as it gets very hot," Zhang said.

In the afternoons, the team begins post-dig work.

"Every day, we look at a lot of new material dug up in the trenches, so we need to record this, take some notes, and make drawings and sketches," Zhang said.

The team works at the site six days a week.

In archaeology, documentation of relics varies among countries, and Zhang said being part of an international team requires joint efforts for such work.

"In China, we have our own system to record archaeological material, while in the UAE, they follow Western methods," he said. "So we have to unify the systems and make sure we understand each other."