FASHION TIPS FOR ARCHAEOLOGISTS No. 2

PANTS (or is it SLACKS?)

SINCE as far back as 1958 (see Michaels and Mouse) the term 'pants' had been used to describe the leg garments of achaeologists. Before this (during the Culture-Historical phase of archaeology) they were variously called 'britches,' 'culottes' or 'pantaloons.' With the advent of post-processualism the word 'slacks' has proved far more popular - anyone with an ear for the West of Ireland brogue will recognise this term quite readily as 'schlecks' - as in: 'Them is a grend pair of schlecks you're wearing bucko.'
With the death of Howard Carter in 1939 (a tragic accident involving a milk lorry, newspaper headlines ran 'CARTER CREAMED') the World Congress of Mud Jockeys decided that all archaeologists should, from that day forth, as a mark of respect, wear their trousers at half mast . . .

Fig. 1a shows the leg garment being worn in the typical processual half mast hoisted fashion. And perfectly respectable it looks too.

Fig. 1b shows one of those infernal post-processualists in their arriviste half mast lowered slacks.

Far be it from me to tell anyone how to wear their pants/slacks but these post-processualists must be stopped! Along with their bizarre desires to keep chickens in their back gardens and their taste for rocquette in their salads how-do-you-do!

Whatever way you choose to wear your 'pants'/'schlecks' on the battlefield of modern archaeology please be aware not to make either of the two cardinal sins of trouserisation . . .

or worse still . . .

until next time archaeofashionistas