1 What archaeologists do. 2 Who are archaeologists? Do you like to dig in the dirt?Do you like to...

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What archaeologists doWhat archaeologists do

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Who are archaeologists?Who are archaeologists?• Do you like to dig in the Do you like to dig in the

dirt?dirt? • Find things that are lost? Find things that are lost? • Put pieces together? Put pieces together? • Figure out stories from Figure out stories from

clues? clues? • Learn about the past? Learn about the past? • These are all things These are all things

archaeologists do—maybe archaeologists do—maybe you'reyou're one, too! one, too!

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Archaeologists have been Archaeologists have been around for a whilearound for a while

• One of the first known archaeological expeditions One of the first known archaeological expeditions was the excavation of the temple of Shamath at was the excavation of the temple of Shamath at Sipper by Nabonidus, ruler of Babylon from 556 to Sipper by Nabonidus, ruler of Babylon from 556 to 539 BC.539 BC.

• The findings were displayed in a Babylonian The findings were displayed in a Babylonian museum after the project was over.museum after the project was over.

• Other classical peoples, such as the Greeks and Other classical peoples, such as the Greeks and Romans, excavated ancient burial grounds to learn Romans, excavated ancient burial grounds to learn about their own ancestors. about their own ancestors.

• During the Middle Ages, the study of archaeology During the Middle Ages, the study of archaeology came to a halt. History was almost completely based came to a halt. History was almost completely based upon the Bible, and many people believed that upon the Bible, and many people believed that artefacts that were found had been spontaneously artefacts that were found had been spontaneously generated by the earth, or placed there by the generated by the earth, or placed there by the supernatural!supernatural!

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Field crewField crew• archaeologists look at old things

and sites to investigate how people lived in the past.

• They are not – geologists

• (who study rocks and minerals) or

– palaeontologists • (who study very ancient reptiles).

• archaeologists dig everywhere, including in archaeologists dig everywhere, including in old rubbish heaps and toilets. old rubbish heaps and toilets.

• They seem to know something about They seem to know something about everything people did in the past: everything people did in the past:

• how they made tools, why they moved how they made tools, why they moved around, and what kinds of foods they ate. around, and what kinds of foods they ate.

Archaeologists at work!

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Within archaeology, Within archaeology, people have different people have different

interestsinterests

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Zoo-archaeologists Zoo-archaeologists

• Animals + archaeology = Zoo-Animals + archaeology = Zoo-archaeologistarchaeologist

• They study animal remains, or They study animal remains, or fauna, from archaeological sites. fauna, from archaeological sites.

• Their work shows what people ate, Their work shows what people ate, the animals they the animals they huntedhunted and and raisedraised, and about the animal’s , and about the animal’s health. health.

• Scuba diving + archaeology = Marine Scuba diving + archaeology = Marine archaeologist archaeologist

• A little water won't stop archaeologists! A little water won't stop archaeologists! • They excavate everything from rock They excavate everything from rock

shelters to abandoned ships to planes. shelters to abandoned ships to planes. • Their work tells us about seafaring life Their work tells us about seafaring life

and culture, such as war or the cargo and culture, such as war or the cargo carried for trade on shipwrecks. carried for trade on shipwrecks.

An investigation: what animals people raised as work animals and pets, like this dog.

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Environmental archaeologists Environmental archaeologists • Nature + archaeology Nature + archaeology

= Environmental = Environmental archaeologistarchaeologist Environmental Environmental archaeologists look for archaeologists look for answers about the answers about the relationships between the relationships between the Earth and people. Earth and people.

• They look for natural They look for natural remains—such as those remains—such as those of wild and domesticated of wild and domesticated plants and animals found plants and animals found in the archaeological in the archaeological record. record.

Environmental archaeologists think ancient desert people ate differently as the landscape dried out and large animals left

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How do they work?How do they work?

• Archaeologists work by Archaeologists work by digging into sites and digging into sites and collections. collections.

• When they excavate, When they excavate, archaeologists use tools you archaeologists use tools you might recognize. might recognize.

• Putting together a story Putting together a story from archaeology is like from archaeology is like doing a big puzzle without doing a big puzzle without the box lid. artefacts are the box lid. artefacts are some of the pieces, but only some of the pieces, but only part of the total picture. part of the total picture.

Archaeologists peel back the earth to learn about people who made history.

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Where do they start?Where do they start?• There is usually a There is usually a

good reason good reason • A redevelopment of A redevelopment of

a site ( roads etc) a site ( roads etc) may be a last chancemay be a last chance

• Aerial photographyAerial photography• An important chance An important chance

findfind• An indication of An indication of

settlement in old settlement in old documentsdocuments

Earthwork of a Roman fort at Greta Bridge.

Aerial photos help you know where to start

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Remember measuring is very Remember measuring is very importantimportant

• Who caresWho cares about about being a professional being a professional maker of maker of measurements? measurements? Archaeologists do. Archaeologists do.

• Careful measurements Careful measurements are important to make are important to make a good record of a site. a good record of a site.

Careful measurements now mean fewer headaches later.

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• Archaeologists use Archaeologists use geometry to lay out geometry to lay out excavation units and excavation units and triangulate the triangulate the locations of features. locations of features.

• They start from a They start from a datum point. datum point.

At the top of the orange and white stick is the datum point. He'll plant the stick in concrete so it will stay put.

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• Peering through Peering through a theodolite a theodolite measures across measures across sites.sites.

• You need 3 You need 3 different different measurements measurements to be sure you to be sure you record a point record a point accuratelyaccurately Looking through the

theodolite measures the distance between features of a site.

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• A plumb line A plumb line weighs down the weighs down the string to make string to make measuring depth measuring depth easier. easier.

See the thing at the end of the string? These archaeologists are using it to help measure the positions of artefacts.

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ExcavationExcavation

• Excavation is the Excavation is the way archaeologists way archaeologists look below the look below the surface. surface.

• Excavation destroys Excavation destroys an archaeological an archaeological place, so place, so archaeologists are archaeologists are very careful about very careful about how and where they how and where they dig. dig.

Some researchers dig into libraries, but archaeologists dig in the dirt.

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ExcavationExcavation

• Archaeologists grid Archaeologists grid a site before a site before excavating. excavating.

• Then, layer by layer, Then, layer by layer, unit by unit, they unit by unit, they use different tools to use different tools to dig, photograph, dig, photograph, and draw what they and draw what they see. see.

• They also take soil They also take soil samples and bag up samples and bag up artefacts. artefacts.

See the red strings? They outline the excavation units.

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ExcavationExcavation• If they're lucky, they find If they're lucky, they find

features like ancient cooking features like ancient cooking stoves or wells or even stoves or wells or even buildings.buildings.

People dumped all kinds of stuff into this well. In hearths like this

one, ancient people built fires for cooking, warmth, and to make things.

The ancient Chacoan people built amazing urban places.

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Stratification and dating Stratification and dating

• Each new layer of Each new layer of soil, or stratum, soil, or stratum, signals a different signals a different cultural time period. cultural time period. See how the soil See how the soil layers change layers change colour? A stratum colour? A stratum might be a few might be a few centimeters or many centimeters or many feet thick. feet thick.

Stratification helped archaeologists make a timeline for the Mississippi River region.

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• Soil layers usually Soil layers usually get older the deeper get older the deeper they go. they go. archaeologists dig archaeologists dig until they hit subsoil, until they hit subsoil, a layer without a layer without artefacts. artefacts. Compare these 2

images. See the differences between the colours and textures of these layers?

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• Sometimes Sometimes archaeologists archaeologists name and date name and date the layers from the layers from the artefacts, the artefacts, the texture of the texture of the soil, and the soil, and careful mapping. careful mapping. They put this They put this information into information into a timeline for the a timeline for the sitesite

Each layer of this cellar was used by a different family.

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Screening Screening

• Buckets and Buckets and shovelfuls of dirt shovelfuls of dirt are dumped in a are dumped in a screen held by a screen held by a wooden frame. wooden frame.

A chance to get your dirty paws on the past.

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Screening Screening

• Shaking the screen Shaking the screen really hard leaves really hard leaves behind artefacts, behind artefacts, stones, and debris. stones, and debris.

• The artefacts go in The artefacts go in labelled paper bags to labelled paper bags to study later. study later.

• Sometimes Sometimes archaeologists take archaeologists take samples of soil for samples of soil for analysis. analysis.

A chance to get your dirty paws on the past.

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Screening Screening

• For tiny objects, like For tiny objects, like beads and seeds, beads and seeds, archaeologists shoot archaeologists shoot water through a fine water through a fine mesh screen in a process mesh screen in a process called water screening. called water screening.

Archaeologists play lots of show-and-tell around the screen.

Tiny trade beads, miniscule seeds, slim fish bones ... none escape the wetscreen.

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RecordingRecording• Good recordkeeping is Good recordkeeping is

really important. really important. archaeologists make notes archaeologists make notes and draw interesting finds and draw interesting finds the entire time they the entire time they excavate. The records excavate. The records describe what the describe what the archaeologists saw in the archaeologists saw in the units. Photographs and units. Photographs and maps are another kind of maps are another kind of documentation. documentation.

• They show what They show what archaeologists archaeologists saw. saw.

archaeologists in the 1930s excavated lodges, ceremonial areas, and mounds

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RecordingRecording• If you've visited If you've visited

an archaeological an archaeological site, then you site, then you have seen how have seen how old archaeological old archaeological photographs and photographs and records help us records help us learn about the learn about the past. past.

archaeologists help us to understand the mounds

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Pooling IdeasPooling Ideas

• A sheep is a sheep is a A sheep is a sheep is a sheep, right? sheep, right?

• Perhaps. Remember Perhaps. Remember the different kinds of the different kinds of archaeologists?archaeologists?

• Each one uses what Each one uses what they know to look at they know to look at sheep in a different sheep in a different way. way.

Watch this space see where archaeological evidence is found in California.

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• During a dig, the During a dig, the different kinds of different kinds of archaeologists pool archaeologists pool ideas to find all the ideas to find all the possible sheepish possible sheepish meanings. Maybe they meanings. Maybe they see sheep images on see sheep images on rocks. rocks.

Why did the Coso Indians of California make rock images?

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• Or excavate a historic sheep farm.Or excavate a historic sheep farm.

On historic sites in Fontana, California, farmers dunked their sheep in sheep dips like this to clean and de-bug their wool.

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Pooling IdeasPooling Ideas• Or study how grazing sheep change landscapesOr study how grazing sheep change landscapes..

Sheep graze a hilly Californian landscape geologically and environmentally suited to their needs.

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• Or wonder about the uses for sheep. Or wonder about the uses for sheep.

The dark material piled against one of the Zuni houses is sheep-dung for firing pottery.

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• Or head to collections to compare the Or head to collections to compare the animal findsanimal finds to another site. to another site.

Animal specialists compare bones to learn about the health and condition of sheep.

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Archaeology labArchaeology lab• Contrary to what you might Contrary to what you might

think, archaeologists spend most think, archaeologists spend most of their time in artefact labs, not of their time in artefact labs, not excavating . The lab is where excavating . The lab is where archaeologists get a close look archaeologists get a close look at the finds from an excavation. at the finds from an excavation.

• archaeological collections are archaeological collections are like a library full of objects. They like a library full of objects. They can help you research lots of can help you research lots of questions, such as: What did questions, such as: What did families do for fun before families do for fun before television was invented? Who television was invented? Who lived in your country before you? lived in your country before you? Where did kids hang out? Where did kids hang out?

Ceramics show the creativity of ancient peoples and the workings of society

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