“Is it a rock, or is it cake?” ~Ishtar, at the sifter.

Ishtar Watson (she/they) is an experienced computer scientist and novelist, professionally, and an archaeology student. She is nearly finished with her undergraduate coursework and has completed field school. She is also working on an Archaeological Society of Virginia (USA) certification. Ishtar wishes to pursue a graduate degree in archaeology afterward. Her interests focus on interpreting prehistoric culture for public consumption, particularly Mesolithic and Neolithic cultures. Most peoples’ exposure to prehistory comes from TV, books, movies, and other media. Working with media professionals to provide as much accuracy as possible is key to imparting a clear representation of the past. Ishtar wishes to use her many years of professional experience in software engineering, the development of archival systems, and computer modeling within archaeological settings. She also has a decade of EDXRF and gamma spectroscopy experience and enjoys non-destructive testing.

Ishtar is a queer, neurodivergent non-binary woman, with more cats than time, and a deep love (an autistic special interest, in fact) of archaeology.