Archaeology: Excavating Our Past

Archaeology: Excavating Our Past — page 5 — ARCHAEOLOGY ExCAVATING OUR PAST weapons jewelry and art Other materials such as the bones of animals that were eaten and residual plant materials that were grown or collected for food are also examined Based on their discoveries archeologists piece together the knowledge of when where and how ancient people once lived A place where evidence is found becomes an archaeological site At a site a team of archaeologists follows a series of standard ized steps to recover study and report on the artifacts made and used by ancient people It is equally as important that plant and ani mal foods eaten or discarded be recovered if available To accomplish a successful recovery sci entists first identify map photograph and evaluate the area Once an area is targeted for excavation they divide the surface of the site into a grid pattern of squares Locations where artifacts are found are recorded on the grid map which helps the team determine where to look for additional artifacts Archaeologists use computers to document each recovered object They also measure and record the position and depth of each artifact and take photographs or videos to capture recovery details for future research 10

Archaeology: Excavating Our Past — page 6 — INTRODUCTION Some artifacts and other materials from the sites are studied in laboratories To interpret the evidence archaeologists classify or group the objects often by shape Next they date them A widely used dating method is radiocarbon dating which requires organic material such as shells bones and plant parts The scientists then evaluate the objects to learn how and where they were made and used Finally they publish their findings in government and uni versity reports and scientific journals Some findings are also presented in articles writ ten for the general public The work of archaeologists is invaluable because it explains and protects the past The more people know about their past the more they understand how they are connected with IN each other and the environment of long ago This knowledge also helps show how people can successfully interconnect with the envi ronment today and in the future 11

Archaeology: Excavating Our Past — page 7 — CHAPTER 1 BRANCHES AND TRAINING NN he field of study called archaeology combines the excitement of trea JL sure hunting with the investigative labor of detective work The materials of archaeological study are both the things made by people and the things used by them All the things fashioned by people including settlements buildings tools weapons objects of ornament and pure art are called artifacts Nonartifactual materials things that were used but not made or fashioned include the unworked bones of the animals that were eaten the traces of the plants that were either grown or collected for food and the charcoal from ancient hearths Since the mid 20th century there has been another shift in the emphasis of archae ological study from finding out how cultures change to trying to understand why they change Some modern archaeologists are try ing to establish archaeology as a true science from which generalizations or laws can be made about the causes of cultural change 12

Archaeology: Excavating Our Past — page 8 — ESCO 9 a gED Archaeologists put artifacts such as these swords and armor from the 1700s into historical context to help us better understand the past DEA G Dagli Ortil Getty Images 13

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