Liftoff

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{ The truck pictures are more impressive when enlarged. Go on, click and enjoy the details! }

The System: Every archaeological excavation needs some form of headquarters in the field.
A lockable place to store the tools and equipment, with a table where the foreman can do a little paperwork and maybe eat his lunch. A shipping container--perfect!

Here's the inside of ours at my latest dig in Jerusalem:

The contractor hires fieldworkers like me and supplies the Israel Antiquities Authority with diggers, as needed, for the IAA's many digs. The contractor also takes care of the logistics (in consultation with the archaeologist in charge, of course).
So on the last day of our dig, right after all the forty workers had boarded their mini-buses to be driven back to East Jerusalem, the truck showed up.

It was an amazing, quick, ONE-man show! He hooked the chains onto the container.

He scampered up, then down, the container as easily as a monkey.

Strapped to his back are the controls for the hydraulic crane.

He leaned on the box to keep the proper angle,

then hoisted it and maneuvered it onto the truck.
And off they drove, one man, one container.
Job done. Such a simple system!