Staff profile

Mark Dingeldein, B.A.

Crew Chief/Lab Technician

What do you do at Southern Research?

In the field, I act as Crew Chief, assisting the Field Director in designing survey and site testing strategies, and frequently supervise the crew in their duties. I also conduct smaller scale cultural resources surveys for telecommunication towers and transportation improvements as well as residential and commercial developments all over the Southeast. In the lab, I assist the Laboratory Director with artifact analysis, collections management and equipment maintenance.

How did you become interested in Archaeology?

My interest started when I was very young, accompanying my uncle on arrowhead hunting expeditions on his farmland located near Baton Rouge, La. I've always enjoyed reading books and watching movies or television shows about travel and ancient civilizations, and I'm sure that had a major influence on my decision to pursue a degree in Anthropology/Archaeology. I graduated from Ole Miss in '93 (Go Rebels!), and have worked for a number of CRM firms in the American Southeast over the last 10 years.

What do you particularly like about your work and the people you work with?

It's great to have an occupation where I can make a living by traveling to different places and exploring the woods for hidden sites. This job can really take you to some out of the way places and let you experience "roadside Americana" firsthand! I've had the pleasure of working with a large number of people over the years, and really appreciate all of the knowledge that they have shared with me, and have really enjoyed the "tales from the road" that we have shared!

Any hobbies?

I have a keen interest in military history, especially in the development and use of WWII era military vehicles, and it's always been a pleasure to come upon one of them while working in the woods on a military base. When I'm not on the road working on an away project, I enjoy growing flowers and vegetables for my family and friends, listening to classic rock-n-roll, reggae, and blues music, watching "cult" movies on the television, and spending time with my girlfriend Bess and our two dogs, Molly and Abner.

And what's the neatest thing you've ever found?

I recovered a 1742 silver Spanish coin on a project in Savannah, Georgia, and it was a great feeling to know the history of an item as you found it (rather than waiting for it to be identified in the lab). The oldest item that I've ever recovered was a Paleo-Indian projectile point (a spearhead), which I found while digging in a swampy region of Northwest Florida. It was so large that it was almost as big as my hand! My personal favorite item that I've ever found would have to be a 1950's era military jet, which my crew located in the woods-it was fully intact, and there was no road or other evidence which would have explained how it got there.