image/svg+xml219XI/2/2020INTERDISCIPLINARIA ARCHAEOLOGICANATURAL SCIENCES IN ARCHAEOLOGYhomepage: http://www.iansa.euA look at the regionFrom Amélieto Terrascope: Creation, Development, Struggle and Re-birth of a Small French Independent Archaeological LaboratorySabrina Savea*, Joseph KovacikaaAmélie, études environnementales & archéologiques/Terrascope Thin Section Slides, 120 boulevard Blanqui, 10000 Troyes, France1. IntroductionBased in Troyes, France, in the southern Champagne region, the laboratories named Amélieand Terrascopeare the two heads of the same entity created in May 2007 by Joseph Kovacik and Sabrina Save. While Amélieconstitutes the historical institution dedicated to palaeo-environmental and archaeometric analysis, Terrascopeis a recent addition exclusively dedicated to the manufacturing of micromorphological thin sections. Fully private and independent, these two labs were conceived around an unconventional way of thinking about archaeology, commercial archaeology and archaeological research: be an actor of the world archaeological community – do innovative, sustainable research with people we like – all within a commercial context. The philosophy and development of the company is deeply linked to the personality and personal history of its creators and directors, Joseph and Sabrina. In this paper, we want to share with you our personal history and the history of our company, and cast light on what we think it means to be an independent archaeologist, how to be innovative and conduct advanced research in a non-academic environment, and how to build and maintain a successful business by always being ready to reinvent oneself.2. Creation of Amélie2.1 Portraits2.1.1 Joseph James KovacikBorn in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Joseph is the oldest son of a carpenter and home-maker, and had a typical 1970s upbringing meaning lots of mucking about, mostly unsupervised (swimming at the pond with friends and no adults, riding mini-bikes miles from home with friends and no adults). Average at school, although excellent in history and geography, the only thing important for his parents was for him to go to “University”. Starting in Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and quickly failing, Joseph looked hard at what he was good at and what he wanted, a large part of which was not to pass his life inside a building. Rather than return to his long-time Volume XI ● Issue 2/2020 ● Pages 219–226*Corresponding author. E-mail: contact@terrascope-tss.comARTICLE INFOArticle history:Received: 9thSeptember 2020Accepted: 29thSeptember 2020DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.24916/iansa.2020.2.6Key words:palaeo-environmentpalaeo-pollutionpXRFthin sectiongeochemistryABSTRACTCreated in France in May 2007 by Joseph Kovacik and Sabrina Save, Amélieis a small independent laboratory, stafed and partnered with the best specialists in Europe, providing palaeo-environmental and archaeometric services to the French Archaeology community. During its 13 years of existence, Amélieand its owners have been through many hurdles and run fantastic projects, always trying to be forward-thinking and bring high-level research and academia into commercial archaeology, while ensuring the sustainability of the company. One example of their endeavour to innovate is the theoretical framework and methodology they developed to survey large mechanically-stripped archaeological surfaces with pXRF to investigate human impact on soil chemistry. In February 2018, while the future of Améliewas unclear due to three consecutive years of declining turnover, a short stay in Cambridge as visiting scholars re-focused Joseph and Sabrina, with them deciding to launch a new project: the creation of a new facility dedicated to the production of micromorphological thin sections, Terrascope. Since this Cambridge sabbatical, many exciting projects have emerged and reshaped the future of Amélie, Joseph, and Sabrina. This is their backstory.
image/svg+xmlIANSA 2020 ● XI/2 ● 219–226Sabrina Save, Joseph Kovacik: From Amélie to Terrascope: Creation, Development, Struggle and Re-birth of a Small French Independent Archaeological Laboratory220passion for history (lots of time in buildings), Joseph fell into Anthropology, and particularly Archaeology. Enchanted by a series of inspiring professors and graduate students at UWM, Joseph started working for the UWM Archaeological Research Laboratory (geoarcheology coring of lake sediments in the middle of a Wisconsin winter), as well as for other university commercial feld units, museums, and the US Forest Service. Turning things around after his disastrous start (why-oh-why did he choose chemistry?), he found himself accepted into the Master’s programme at Southern Illinois University – Carbondale. Again having good fortune and inspiring professors, he was awarded the Center for Archaeological Investigations graduate research assistant position, giving him the chance to work on both feld and laboratory projects throughout southern Illinois and the American Southwest (including archiving the remains of Lewis Binford’s frst archaeological excavation carried out for SIU; what great letters between Binford, the University and the communities in which the feldwork was being undertaken!). It was at SIU that he meets Robert Preucel (then a simple Post-doc), a meeting that changed his life forever, introducing him to both a diferent kind of archaeology (post-processualism) and also to Ian Hodder. Encouraged by Robert, Joseph applied to the University of Cambridge to study with Ian Hodder, and was accepted – it is a good thing he worked hard at SIU and was able to show that even students with a poor undergraduate grade-point average can make good in the right circumstances: the right motivation, good grades in the relevant classes, and a lot of feld experience. So of to Cambridge, where in addition to working on his thesis and participating in all that Cambridge has to ofer, he also began to work in France, in particular at the site of Vix, which became the starting point for another obsession: France.Following the completion of his thesis, Joseph returned to both the United States and to commercial archaeology, with the latter the true constant archaeological presence throughout his time as an archaeologist, helping to pay for his undergraduate education, and paying for his Master’s degree. Moving to Albuquerque (New Mexico), Joseph took up the position of Principal Investigator for a large civil engineering frm, directing archaeological investigations for them across the American Southwest. However, transformed by his Cambridge experience, he longed to return to the UK, and eventually secured a position as the London Director for one of the principal cultural resource frms there. Managing both small and large, urban and rural projects, and having the chance to direct an excellent team, as well as developing and directing a long-term research project in France, disagreements with the company owners prompted a change, leading to a similar position in the Republic of Ireland. More of the same – great projects, great team, great research project in France, less great bosses – led him to pose the question, why could not I be my own boss, work on great projects, with great people and do great research? And so, after more than 20 years working for others, and with the encouragement and support of a series of senior French archaeologists, and with one of his French colleagues (Sabrina) as a business partner, he decided to quit the UK and set up his own company, Amélie, in France.2.1.2 Sabrina SaveSabrina was born in December 1983 in Saudi Arabia, where her parents lived for two years (her father was teaching at the University of Petrol and Minerals of Dhahran). Returning to France at 6 months old, she never had the chance to see her birthplace again. After moving homes several times in the suburbs of Nantes, the whole family moved near to Aix-en-Provence in 1999. In 2001, she started University at Aix-Marseille University, initially wanting to combine Earth Sciences and Archaeology, something impossible in the French system as Hard and Social Sciences are totally separate, both administratively and physically (the campus of each are 50 km apart). Finally, she chose Archaeology, which was at the time linked to Art History (although not anymore). During her frst years she feels attracted to Middle East Archaeology (identity crisis?), but as very little Middle Eastern Archaeology courses were available at Aix-Marseille, she started studying, on the side, Semitic languages: Sumerian, Akkadian, Arameen, Arabic, Ugaritic, Hittite, and Moabite. For a moment, she thought about pursuing a Master’s in that discipline, but she liked feldwork too much to give up Archaeology for a pure desk job (she spends at least 3 months per year, the most she can, digging on research excavations – which is how she met Joseph in 2004); like so many female students, her own #metoo moment made the choice easier. She convinces her Archaeology professors to supervise her on a Master’s on some topic in the Middle East and fnally ends up doing her degree on Cyprus (that is the most “east” her supervisor would agree to go). She thinks about doing a PhD afterwards, but cannot fnd an appropriate laboratory in France for what she wants to do. Luckily a new commercial unit in Aix-en-Provence was just opening and they were looking for people for their frst rescue excavation. She applied and was recruited as site supervisor. It was during this period that Joseph contacted her and ofered her to be his business partner in Amélie. She thus resigned her position in Aix-en-Provence after 9 months and joined Joseph in Lorraine. She was then 23 years old.2.1.3 AmélieThe initial idea for Améliewas for it to gain an agreement issued by the French Ministry of Culture, allowing the company to carry out developer-funded excavations within France. After the frst unsuccessful attempt (in total we made three, unsuccessful, applications; the main criticism being our overtly Anglo-Saxon approach), and as an efort to start working and bolster our chances for future applications, we decided to start ofering palaeo-environmental services to the French developer-funded sector. We had been working for years, in England, Ireland, and France on research excavations, with a group of world-renowned specialists, all of whom were familiar with the constraints of commercial archaeology – research questions that are not your own,
image/svg+xmlIANSA 2020 ● XI/2 ● 219–226Sabrina Save, Joseph Kovacik: From Amélie to Terrascope: Creation, Development, Struggle and Re-birth of a Small French Independent Archaeological Laboratory221limited budgets and, of course, tight deadlines. Friends, colleagues, and even some enemies in French archaeology had all told us how difcult it was to fnd reliable specialist services while working on commercial projects. The professional contacts – throughout Europe and the United States – we had. We also knew what we wanted, whether doing excavations or specialist services: to work with the best people, people we liked, and do great archaeology.3. Development and Struggles3.1 Growth and innovationIt took several years for Amélieto establish a clientele and make a decent turnover from palaeo-environmental studies – and allow Sabrina and Joseph to receive a salary. From mid-2008 to early 2010, Joseph worked full time for a temping agency, doing night shifts in “agro-industry” (do not buy industrially-made brioche!), and building side walks (pavements) and roundabouts during the day. Sabrina also worked occasional night shifts in a lemonade factory or in the lab of a factory turning liquids into powder. In March 2010, Joseph was recruited as the regional director (Grand Est) for a young commercial excavation company, Eveha, a role he still holds today (again working for others, but c’est la vie!). From 2011 to 2015, Amélie’s turnover continued to grow with Sabrina working full time (paid!) to help French archaeologists investigate and understand their sites.Projects run by Amélievary considerably in size and complexity, from plant macro-remains analysis of a single bulk sample to the processing of several hundred buckets of sediment and large pluri-disciplinary analysis. The majority of our projects, however, involve a mean of three diferent disciplines, with plant macro-remains being the most in-demand study (mostly done in partnership with Lisa Gray, UK), and complemented with other palaeo-environmental studies (Quest, University of Reading) or chemical analysis (Amélie, University of Bristol, University of Durham). Over the past 13 years we have undertaken numerous “big projects” involving up to a dozen specialists. For example, near La Rochelle, Amélieteamed with Quaternary Scientifc, to direct several large-scale, palaeo-environmental studies on the evolution of the coastline, taking boreholes (Figure 1) and applying a large suite of palaeo-environmental approaches to the sediments collected, the aim of which was to reconstruct the ancient coastal environment and shorelines as they related to the Neolithic occupation of the uplands (Lang et al., 2020; Save, 2011; Save et al., 2012; Soler et al., 2013).Being a company built on restlessness and a desire to innovate and experiment, in 2011 Amélieacquired a portable X-ray fuorescence spectrometer (pXRF), paid for in part through State subventions awarded to the company – in large part due to our innovation. Joseph and Sabrina chose the most versatile pXRF available at the time (Innov-X Delta Premium) as they wanted to be able to analyse all types of archaeological materials: metal, ceramic, glass, sediment, etc, both in our lab, in the labs of others, and (why not) in the feld if necessary. As the possession and use of devices emitting ionising rays (a pXRF) falls under the control of the French Nuclear Safety Authority, it was necessary for someone within Amélieto become certifed in radioprotection: Sabrina undertook the special training and passed the exam: she is now lead scientist, commercial director and a Personne Compétente en Radioprotection.Our initial idea was to ofer pXRF analysis to museums for conservation and archiving purposes, but, as with so many things, the “business” of pXRF analysis of archaeological artefacts did not really take of. Commissioned for a few Figure 1.Joseph Kovacik taking boreholes in a paleochannel of the Seine, La Villeneuve-au-Châtelot, France. Photo by Sandy Poirier.
image/svg+xmlIANSA 2020 ● XI/2 ● 219–226Sabrina Save, Joseph Kovacik: From Amélie to Terrascope: Creation, Development, Struggle and Re-birth of a Small French Independent Archaeological Laboratory222studies, including a silver coin hoard, a large jewellery assemblage from an Iron Age cemetery, a World War I metal sculpture found in a war trench in the French Ardennes (Léty et al., 2019), a set of Iron Age coin pellet moulds (Auger et al., 2018), and an Iron Age sword (Teyssonneyre et al., 2017), these artefact studies remain elusive. However, Sabrina and Joseph also started using the spectrometer to survey mechanically-stripped archaeological surfaces on commercial excavations (Figure 2) as means of investigating the impact of human activities on soil chemistry – both of them are feld archaeologists at heart and miss being outside, on site. Buildings, activity areas, courtyards and large empty spaces in enclosures are mapped, with projects ranging from measuring a few tens of square metres up to 5 ha on a single archaeological excavation. The results are better than interesting, with the analysis able to distinguish rooms and activity areas within buildings, pathways and spatial organisation invisible to the naked eye in outdoor spaces (Save et al., 2020). Word spread among archaeologists about the detail of the data and results, resulting in more contracts, but also more enemies and detractors. While the technique is being developed by several researchers in Europe and elsewhere, Sabrina is the only person using it in France, is the only person using it on larger scales, is not an academic, has no PhD, and runs a privatelaboratory (and she is a girl) … The results are there, but recognition remains elusive.3.2 Should we close?From 2011 to 2015, the business was growing, so much so that Sabrina started to think about employing a new person to help her in the company. But in 2015, a price war in France, led by INRAP, and with the aim of killing the private archaeology companies and restoring its monopoly of the commercial market, was raging. The mean price per hectare for all commercial excavations dropped by 40% and all the commercial units cut their costs, starting with their analysis budgets. Needless to say, this had a huge impact on Amélieand our turnover dropped dramatically for the next three years. It became hard for Sabrina to make a living and she had to cut her salary, which was already pretty low (even for an archaeologist), to the French minimum wage. Despairing at the situation and seeing no light at the end of the tunnel, Sabrina thought about closing Amélieand changing her profession. She started reading to take the exam to become a Customs inspector (why not?). Thinking she would pass the exam (foolishly), she planned to go back to school near Lille and train for a year. Joseph, who did not want to give up on Sabrina’s work on geochemistry and the human impact on the landscape (he has always been championing the approach in the commercial excavations he conducts for Eveha), applied for the Field Archaeologist in Residence Fellowship at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge. Sabrina almost passed the Customs inspector examinations (the Customs inspector exam actually has the lowest success rate in France, about 2%) and Joseph won the Fellowship at Cambridge. And here started a new adventure...4. Re-birth4.1 CambridgeIn February 2018, Joseph arrived in Cambridge to spend a month at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research. It was weird to be back after 20 years. Everything had changed so much! When Joseph left Cambridge in 1995, the McDonald Institute had just been inaugurated by Prince Charles himself, and housed only a few staf, students and Figure 2.Sabrina Save taking in situpXRF measurements the sediment on a mechanically stripped surface to survey a large Neolithic building, La Villeneuve-au-Châtelot, France. Photo by Sandy Poirier.
image/svg+xmlIANSA 2020 ● XI/2 ● 219–226Sabrina Save, Joseph Kovacik: From Amélie to Terrascope: Creation, Development, Struggle and Re-birth of a Small French Independent Archaeological Laboratory223post-docs. Now it is one of the largest and most important centres for archaeological excellence in the world. Sabrina joined Joseph after the frst week to enjoy Cambridge and the Haddon Library, and during the third week they met Charles French for cofee: Charlie and Joseph met over 20 years ago in Cambridge when Joseph was doing his PhD and Charlie was a new university Lecturer starting the McBurney Laboratory for Geoarchaeology. Discussing life in Cambridge, archaeology, and geoarchaeology, the conversation turned to thin section preparation, the limited number of laboratories ofering this service, and the long delay in processing the samples: all factors incompatible within a commercial archaeology framework. Sabrina had been ordering thin section preparation for years from a variety of UK-based laboratories and had thought, on occasion, about opening her own facilities as the delay to get thin sections was getting worse, often extending to more than six months (without the study!). Joseph and Sabrina had looked at the equipment online, knew the theory and had “read the books”, but both had no idea how to proceed: what does a working lab actually look like and how does one learn to make thin sections? Having trained a very large number of practising micromorphologists, Charlie was fully aware of the thin section market situation and its consequences on research. He also informed Sabrina and Joseph that Earthslides, the private thin section laboratory run by Julie Boreham, was about to close because of Julie’s imminent retirement. He ofered for Sabrina to visit the McBurney thin section facility and start thin section preparation training with the chief lab technician, Dr Tonko Rajkovaca, which she eagerly accepted. The next morning Sabrina met Tonko and started her training in the lab with another researcher visiting Cambridge. And she liked it! A lot!As the Field Archaeologist in Residence at the McDonald Institute, Joseph was spending his time researching, in particular, reading and having fruitful discussions with others who were interested (or not) in the geochemical analysis of large, mechanically-stripped archaeological surfaces. The Field Archaeologist fellowship is not, however, just about pursuing one’s personal research questions – at its core it is designed to encourage interaction between academic and feld (and in particular commercial) archaeologists, specifcally showing how commercial archaeology can be, and is itself, research. As part of this interaction, cofee breaks are essential, and the McDonald Institute is the place where archaeologists meet and discuss. One morning at cofee break, as Joseph was chatting with a Post-doc researcher about how commercial companies can provide space and money to innovate in archaeological practice, the McDonald Research Facilitator, Katherine Boyle, overheard him talking about Sabrina being trained at the McBurney Laboratory. She joined the conversation and asked Joseph more about the training and Sabrina, and ofered to meet Sabrina to discuss possibilities for further training and research. The two met the day after: with Sabrina explaining her background and research ambitions. Katherine saw the potential and suggested Sabrina apply with Cambridge for a Marie Curie Individual Fellowship, despite the fact that she did not possess a PhD – who would have known that someone without a PhD could apply for such a prestigious fellowship!4.2 TerrascopeBack in Troyes with their heads full of dreams, Joseph and Sabrina started writing to the diferent equipment providers to request quotations and build a business plan to present to the bank and Chamber of Commerce for fnancing the new lab. They decided to install the new facility in the laundry room of their house, behind the garage, to save money on rent and give a better chance to the business to start and grow. Any money not going to rent would go to Sabrina’s salary or as investment in the company – every Euro counts. But a thin section lab is not small and requires a specialised space, so all the equipment (mostly professional) that was actually stored in the laundry room had to move. A shed was built in the backyard and the laundry room emptied, a laboratory plan drafted, plumbers and electricians called to modify the water and drains, bring electricity to where the future Figure 3.Sabrina Save mounting samples in the thin section lab Terrascope, Troyes, France. Photo by Sabrina Save.
image/svg+xmlIANSA 2020 ● XI/2 ● 219–226Sabrina Save, Joseph Kovacik: From Amélie to Terrascope: Creation, Development, Struggle and Re-birth of a Small French Independent Archaeological Laboratory224benchtops would be located, and install special three-phase outlets for the grinding machine (which, serendipitously, was already present in the house). To save money again, Joseph and Sabrina completed building out the rest of the lab themselves – they double the cinderblock walls and ceiling, install the lighting, and paint. Sabrina designs the benchtop and shelving – with thanks to a large Swedish furniture company (Figure 3).Despite the good management of Amélieover a 13-year period and a supportive bank, assembling the budget necessary to create a new lab from scratch was still difcult. Sabrina requested a meeting with the Chamber of Commerce to ask about subvention possibilities, although it proved difcult to obtain a meeting with the actual person: every time she called, people asked what type of business was Amélie, and when she said, she was an archaeologist, everybody shut down and said they “don’t do archaeologists”. We had been here before, and persistence was essential. After several weeks of trial and error, someone ready to listen to the project was found; after explaining how thin sections are made, the adviser suggested the work could be qualifed as a “craft activity” because thin sections are custom-made, it is a job of precision and skill, and therefore meets the criteria of being classifed as “craftsmanship”. The Chamber of Arts and Crafts was then contacted, and with difculty, an appointment was made. More explanations of the project, the company and its people (of course, our business is very diferent from what they are used to), it seemed there was a good chance to get a subvention from the Region Grand Est, around 20% of the price of the equipment! Terrascopewas registered as a “Craft” business, with a large range of other paperwork also submitted (this was France, after all), in order to apply for the subvention. Twenty percent of the price of the equipment would be fantastic and really helpful but Joseph and Sabrina knew it would take some time for the business to start and be proftable. They needed to fll the inevitable gap between the frst loan payments and the frst substantial income generated by the lab, and decided to invest some of their own money into the project; they had already paid for the refurbishing of the laundry room from their personal savings, and with these gone Joseph ofered to sell the two Banksy prints he had bought for £50 in London 15 years ago, when Banksy was still a little-known street artist. The sale of these two prints allowed them to invest into the company. While the walls of the living room were now empty, a smaller bank loan could be agreed; the subvention, which was awarded by the Grand Est Region, provided a cushion to support the start of the business over the frst year or two. In March 2019, just over one full year from the frst meeting for cofee with Professor French in Cambridge during which we discussed the possibility of a new lab, all the equipment was received and installed, with Terrascopefully operational (Figure 4).The frst clients arrived quickly. The new website specifcally dedicated to the thin section lab was already in place (terrascope-tss.com); Sabrina created it over the last month of the lab’s preparation. Joseph’s friend Tom Knauss, a talented designer based in Milwaukee, created the logo and graphic charter for Terrascope(and for Amélieas well). The frst orders for thin sections were completed and the researchers happy with the quality of the slides, with several coming back quickly with more blocks! The list and locations of clients quickly grew: United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Spain, France, Germany, Netherlands, United States, South Korea! Wow! The lab was very busy! Of course, all the slides were not always perfect on the frst try – but that is part of the job (Figure 5). Learn from each sample, each sediment, and fnd a solution to each problem, one at a time, to produce the best slide possible. It is “craft work” after all.In January 2020, Sabrina was contacted by the Chamber of Arts and Crafts: The President wanted to visit (the President of the Chamber, not of France). She agreed, though warning them that the lab is small and in the laundry room of the house in case they are expecting something grandiose (she is always worried about what people will think). The President and the person in charge of Communication came: Sabrina ofering them a tour, explaining what thin sections are and how they are made, what they allow us to study, and who Figure 4.The Brot grinding machine, the Pfeifer vacuum chamber and the Vodex fume cabinet, Terrascope, Troyes, France. Photo by Sabrina Save.
image/svg+xmlIANSA 2020 ● XI/2 ● 219–226Sabrina Save, Joseph Kovacik: From Amélie to Terrascope: Creation, Development, Struggle and Re-birth of a Small French Independent Archaeological Laboratory225our clients are. Impressed, they suggested Sabrina submit an application for recognition as a “Madame Artisanat”, the Chamber of Arts and Crafts competition that aims to promote Women in Crafts. There was a small dossier to complete and a week-end in a hotel-spa to win. With the paperwork done and submitted, Sabrina was awarded the special prize of the jury, “Madame Artisanat – Coup de Coeur”, from amongst 30 other candidates, all of diferent backgrounds. Local newspapers and radios asked for interviews, which gave her the chance to not only speak about the importance of women in science and business, but also of archaeology. The prize will not have an impact on the company turnover – but it is gratifying.5. Marie Curie, Terrascope, Amélie: Developing across several frontsWhere are we heading now? In addition to developing and managing Amélieand the new Terrascopelaboratory, geochemistry plays a larger and larger role in our research, with the infuence of the Cambridge fellowship continuing. Going back to the ofer from Cambridge to support Sabrina in the submission of a proposal to a MSCA fellowship, Sabrina needed to develop and design a truly “academic” research project. The theoretical framework emerged quickly – Sabrina had, in fact, been working on it for years without really knowing: to further consolidate the theory and methodology for investigating the impact of human activities on soil chemistry by combining geochemistry with micromorphology and coring survey. It also takes on board lessons learned from the large-scale commercial projects Joseph manages, and builds on a shared idea that research and commercial archaeology are inseparable. The proposal was written (with Joseph acting as critique to sharpen her arguments and improve her English) and submitted, to an enthusiastic response, within Cambridge, and in particular with Charles French, Martin Millett and Chris Evans.However, the unconventional path taken by Sabrina and Joseph in their professional lives, and the problems this can cause, came again to the forefront in October 2018. Back in Cambridge for further thin section training in the McBurney lab, and with thoughts dominated by the imminent opening of Terrascope, Sabrina received a bureaucratic email informing her that her application had been declared ineligible for the Marie Curie scheme because of her (lack of) qualifcations. Not having a PhD is used as a red fag, and again appears to stop this particular adventure. However, fortune and good luck are often made; being in Cambridge at the time, the Research Facilitator, Katherine Boyle, who initially suggested Sabrina apply and who had supported her application throughout the process, was categorical: Sabrina had more than the four years of research experience required for an application for a MSCA, and thus encouraged Sabrina to appeal the decision. Warned of the low success rate of appeals (around 1%), a formal appeal was made, ftting with what may be the unwritten motto of our company: “why not, nothing to lose in trying”. The appeal was won and the dossier was reviewed. The fnal result, however, was negative.The MSCA application process did, however, have unintended consequences. In preparing the dossier, and in thinking about how better to integrate geochemistry, the study of archaeological landscapes, commercial archaeology, and micromorphology, new connections were made, and new projects developed, with Améliewinning its frst geochemical survey project outside of France. A new respect, both professionally, and for the companies, was also gained.While Amélieworks primarily for the French developer-funded archaeology sector, albeit with specialists from across Europe, the US and beyond, Terrascopeis a fully French company working for specialists throughout the world, and to be honest working for very few French researchers. The “Anglo-Saxon perspective” of Joseph and Sabrina, which was the reason why they changed direction 13 years ago, is a part of this, although what this perspective is, depends on who is looking: for us, it is an openness to share our research, to build teams, to be part of the community; for some others, it is liberal economics and chasing the elusive Euro. Another is that both of us were, and are, willing to take risks, willing to sufer being the outcasts as it were, to pursue our vision of archaeology and archaeological research. While Sabrina was not successful in her frst (or second) MSCA proposal Figure 5. Photograph of a mammoth thin-section slide manufactured by Sabrina Save, Troyes, France. Photo by Sabrina Save.
image/svg+xmlIANSA 2020 ● XI/2 ● 219–226Sabrina Save, Joseph Kovacik: From Amélie to Terrascope: Creation, Development, Struggle and Re-birth of a Small French Independent Archaeological Laboratory226(the third and last is being prepared for submission in 2020), the personal confdence and professional recognition gained as part of the process of preparing that initial dossier cannot be underestimated or disassociated from our history. The MSCA opening was the result of an opportunity won (the Field Archaeologist in Residence Fellowship), based on questioning what we were doing and why, which was one of many such questionings stretching back to our beginning. Questioning, restlessness, an ability to take risks, and above all a desire to innovate and do interesting work as well as work that interests us, is the history of both Sabrina and Joseph, it is the history of their companies. It will also be the future of their companies, with the once separate paths of the two beginnings to become one.AknowledgmentWe would like to thank Lenka Lisá for giving us the opportunity to share our story with you, in the same unconventional way we are practicing Archaeology and pursuing our careers.ReferencesAUGER, L., SAVE, S., KOVACIK, J., 2018. Lot de plaques à alvéoles mis au jour à Bourges en contexte protohistorique (Cher, France): contexte archéologique, typologie et analyse. In: E. Hiriart, ed. Monnaies et Archéologie en Europe celtique. Mélanges en l’honneur de Katherine Gruel.Bibracte, 29, pp. 205–212.LANG, C., SAVE, S., HILL, T., BATCHELOR, C., YOUNG, D., LINCOLN, P., MARINI, N., 2020. Rapport fnal d’intervention et d’étude paléo-environnementale, Octobre 2019, Ors, Château-D’Oléron (17): sondages carottés, étude paléo-environnementale (pollens, macro-restes végétaux et diatomées), micromorphologie et géochimie.Unpublished report.LÉTY, C., BLONDEAU, R., BARIL, Q, BRÉNOT, J., ZÉLIE, B., SAVE, S., BERNARD, M., 2019. Du métal allemand dans des mains françaises. Une sculpture de poilu dans la guerre des tranchées (Argonne, France). Les Nouvelles de l’Archéologie, 155, 12–17.SAVE, S., 2011. Périgny (Charente-Maritime). Etude paléo-environnementale du marais de Tasdon, en contrebas de l’enceinte néolithique des 4 Chevaliers. Bulletin Scientifque Régionale Poitou-Charentes, 292–293.SAVE, S., BATCHELOR, C.R., GREEN, C.P., YOUNG, D., CAMPBELL, G., ATHERSUCH, J., CAMERON, N., 2012. Etude paléoenvironnementale du 7–11 Rue de la Fabrique, La Rochelle (17), France.Unpublished report.SAVE, S., KOVACIK, J., DEMARLY-CRESP, F., ISSENMANN, R., POIRIER, S., SEDLBAUER, S., TEYSSONNEYRE, Y., 2020. Large-scale geochemical survey by pXRF of archaeological settlements and features: new perspectives on the method. Archaeological Prospection, 27, 1–16.SOLER, L., SAVE, S., DUPONT, C., ROQUE, C., 2013. Le Fief des 4 Chevaliers, Etude paléo-environnementale aux abords d’une enceinte néolithique sur le littoral atlantique à Périgny (Charente-Maritime, France). In: M.-Y. Daire, ed. Ancient Maritime Communities and the Relationship between People and Environment along the European Atlantic Coasts / Anciens peuplements littoraux et relations Home/Milieu sur les côtes de l’Europe atlantique. Proceedings of the HOMER 2011 Conference, Vannes (France).British Archaeological Reports International Series 2570, Oxford: Archaeopress, pp. 635–646.TEYSSONNEYRE, Y., ROSCIO, M., SAVE, S., 2017. Note sur une épée de type Rosnöen à Saint-Loup-de-Varennes (Saöne-et-Loire): un dépôt métallique en contexte terrestre, un dépôt daté du Bronze fnal initial. Bulletin pour l’Association pour la Promotion des Recherches sur l’Age du Bronze (APRAB), 15, 161–169.