Chapter 2 | The Work of the Archaeologist How We Find Out About the Past 2 The Work of the...

Chapter 2 | The Work of the Archaeologist

How We Find Out About the Past

2 The Work of the Archaeologist

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

At the end of this chapter you should understand ...

• What is archaeology?

• How archaeologists find sites for excavation.

• How archaeologists excavate sites.

• How archaeologists investigate what they have found.

• The role of conservation in archaeology.


What is Archaeology?

Archaeology is …the story of the past from material remains

Artefacts are …objects made by people, such as axes, spears, pots, coins and rings

Prehistory is …the history of people before writing was invented


Finding Sites for Excavation

Above ground

________________

- Castles

- Forts

- Canals

- Older buildings in

towns and cities

Any other sites above ground?



Below ground____________

____

- Chance discoveries

- Stories from

History

Example: The

Siege of Troy



Aerial photographyUnderwater evidence

Crops over a wall

Crops over a ditch

Crop marks

Below ground________________- Geophysical survey- Aerial photography- Underwater evidenceExamples: Titanic, Lusitania, Spanish Armada

Geophysical survey


What is Rescue or Salvage Archaeology?

Why is this an example of rescue archaeology?


Excavations


What are each of these tools used for in an archaeological dig?


Testing the Evidence – Dating

Radio-carbon dating

Tree-ring dating Coins and pottery

Stratigraphy

Dating


Stratigraphy

How does stratigraphy help date objects?


Tree-ring dating – Dendrochronolgy


Evidence from Post-holes

What evidence do post-holes provide?


Other evidence – Bodies and Bones

What evidence can archaeologists get from bodies and bones?


Reconstructing a Head

What evidence can archaeologists get from reconstructing heads?


Evidence Preserved and Destroyed

How evidence is preserved

• In tombs, bodies buried in coffins and sealed tombs.

• In the desert, the heat dries out objects, which stops them decaying.

• In peat bogs: waterlogged bogs preserve objects.

• By volcanoes, which can preserve bodies and objects.

How evidence is destroyed

• By building work, such as roads, buildings, new fields.

• By storms and battles, which destroy ships.

• By war, which destroys towns and cities.

• By volcanoes, which can destroy buildings and objects.


Conserving the Past

Conservation is …the protection and preservation of ancient objects so that they do not decay.

How does History help tourism?


Top Tourist Attractions – Where is the History?

FactFile

The 10 Most Popular Tourist Attractions in the

World in 2013 voted by TripAdvisor

1 Machu Picchu, Peru

2 Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia

3 Taj Mahal, Agra, India

4 Petra World Heritage Site, Wadi Musa, Jordan

5 Bayon Temple, Siem Reap, Cambodia

6 Great Cathedral and Mosque, Cordoba, Spain

7 Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood,

St Petersburg, Russia

8 St Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City, Italy

9 Ancient City Walls, Dubrovnik, Croatia

10 Main Market Square (Rynek Glowny), Krakow,

Poland

FactFile

The Top 10 Landmarks in Ireland in 2013 by

TripAdvisor

1 Kilmainham Gaol

2 Trinity College (including the Book of

Kells)

3 Glasnevin Cemetery and Museum

4 Chester Beatty Library

5 Blarney Castle and Gardens

6 Kilkenny Castle

5 Newgrange

8 Rock of Cashel

9 Dun Aengus, Aran Islands

10 Charles Fort, Kinsale

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