College Up Close: Annie Veum, archaeology
During Annie Veum’s time at Carolina, archaeology has led her to excavations and dig sites down the street and across the world.
Veum, a senior from Raleigh, says her passion for her major came about by happenstance. At first, she was just looking for something to complement her history major.
“I essentially went down the list of majors provided by UNC to decide,” she said. “I took my first couple of archaeology classes the next semester and fell head over heels in love with the subject.”
What she loves most, she shared, is archaeology’s ability to connect us with “peoples of the past.”
“Archaeology allows scholars to understand more about the lives of those who were not recorded by history: the humans of prehistory, the Roman farmer, the medieval peasant, the Chinese immigrant who came to America to build railroads,” she said.
In her major, Veum’s favorite experience was the “incredible” hands-on field school she did at Duke Forest in Durham and Ayr Mount in Hillsborough the summer after her sophomore year.
Dturing the digs, she helped uncover 17th-century artifacts like small pieces of pottery, a piece of a tobacco pipe, charcoal and remnants of stone tools.
“It was exhilarating to work in the field, day in and day out. This field school was what really cemented that archaeology was what I wanted to devote my time at UNC and my life to,” she said.
Research into the past has also led Veum abroad. Last summer, she worked with the University of Pisa and investigated a monastery and attached cemetery active from the 12th through 19th centuries.
Last spring, she traveled to England, Denmark and Sweden on the Honors Carolina Robinson Fellowship to study barrows — ancient burial places covered with mounds of dirt. Specifically, she was interested in researching “the interactions with and depictions of barrows in Anglo-Saxon England.”
“The research I accomplished on this trip proved vital to my senior thesis, but beyond that, the Robinson Fellowship allowed me to travel to places I had only dreamed of before,” she said.
Back home in Chapel Hill, Veum is the co-president of Carolina Swing Dance Club and has danced with the group for three years.
“This club has allowed me to meet incredible people and learn to dance — something I never thought I could do.”
After graduating on May 11, Veum will start her master’s in archaeology at the University of Durham in England. Afterward, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Anglo-Saxon archaeology.
She said being a Tar Heel has helped make those dreams a reality.
“Coming to Carolina has allowed me to discover the field of archaeology, something I am forever grateful for,” said Veum, who added that her professors “have taught me the skills I need as an archaeologist to thrive in grad school and beyond.”
Her advice to the next generation of Tar Heels?
“Take classes you think you’ll enjoy, even if they don’t relate to what you want to major in. You never know, you might come across your passion in life.”
By Jess Abel ’19
Tar Heels of the Week are nominated by professors in their department. Follow us on Instagram to explore more College Up Close.