An Archaeologist's Perspective: from the Field to Museum, Minoan to Kumeyaay

Since childhood, I have been fascinated by history.  It is more than a static list of events and people long-since passed.  It is instead the living narrative of where we have been, and of the human condition and perspective through time.  It encapsulates our collective achievements and failures – locally and globally – and everything in between.  History is the story of us; the people whose actions and thoughts are remembered through it are no less relatable today than your neighbor across the street.  And just like those neighbors in the past, today we live and create history with every passing moment.  It is our inheritance, and our own legacy. 

My name is Dr. David Breeckner.  I am an archaeologist.  It is my job to study human history and prehistory through both excavation and the analysis of the material goods or remains discovered within.  My background is in Mediterranean civilizations, with a focus on the Bronze Age Minoans. My specialty is pottery, the material that I consider to be the key to deciphering ancient peoples and cultures. 

Since August, I have traded the Mediterranean for the desert, and the Minoans for the Kumeyaay.  Driving across the country from my family's home in rural New Hampshire, I now live on-site in the town of Ocotillo, CA.  Over the next few weeks, I will share my experiences in the study of history, in the work that I've done, and the work that I do now.  I invite you to follow along as I “dig” into my own personal past.