What is Archaeology?
Archeology
The study of things that earlier
people left behind.
Archeology
The study of things that earlier
people left behind.
Archaeologist
Someone who tries to figure out
what life was like in the ancient past
by looking at the remains of ancient
people – their fossils and their
artifacts.
Archaeologist
Someone who tries to figure out
what life was like in the ancient past
by looking at the remains of ancient
people – their fossils and their
artifacts.
Fossils/Artifacts
An archaeologist must know the
difference between an artifact and a
fossil.
Archaeologist
Artifacts are remains of things that
were made, NOT the remains of
living things.
Archaeologist
Fossils are remains of living things
(plants, animals, people), not of
things that were made.
What is a site?
A "site" is a place
archaeologists wish to
explore.
What is a site?
Archaeologists call the site
a “dig”.
What is a site?
Archaeologists call the site
a “dig”.
Why?
Finding a site
How do archaeologists find sites to explore?
Finding a site
How do archaeologists find sites to explore?
1. They think about what
people need to stay alive.
Finding a site
How do archaeologists find sites to explore?
1. They think about what
people need to stay alive.
• clean drinking water
• a protected place to live
• easy access to trade routes
Finding a site
So where do you think archaeologists look for a site?
Finding a site
1. Archaeologists look for remains of civilizations along
the banks of rivers and streams.
Finding a site
2. Archaeologists check out reports of artifacts that have
been discovered. Some farmers and construction
companies have discovered artifacts while working at
their jobs.
Finding a site
3. Archaeologists check the
land from the air, looking for
large depressions that could
be the ruins of an ancient
living area.
Finding a site
4. They use scientific
instruments like radar and
sonar to look for ruins.
Permission to Dig
An archaeologist must receive
permission to explore a site.
Once permission is received,
archaeologists work in teams with other
archaeologists.
Grids & Labeling
Before they begin digging, archaeologists design a grid
on the ground using rope and string.
Each square in the grid must be
carefully searched. A record
must be kept of anything found,
including what was
found next to it.
Tools of the Trade
The tools archaeologists use are
sometimes very simple:
•trowels
•brushes
•spoons
•dental picks
•sieves
•saws
•dustpans
•wheelbarrows.
They search each grid very carefully. Digging at a site
is slow and careful work.
Back in the Lab
Once objects are labeled and removed from a site, they
are taken to a lab, relabeled, and placed into a database.
Archaeologists use this information to put together pieces
of the past.
It takes a great deal of
education, training,
patience, and attention
to detail to work
as an
archaeologist.
Fossils/Artifacts
The job of an archaeologist is a great deal like the job of
a detective. Here are some puzzles for you to solve.
1. While planting my garden, I
found a three-foot long bone
made out of stone. Did I find
a fossil or an artifact?
2. While exploring in the woods
near my house, I found an
old arrowhead. Did I find a
fossil or an artifact?