What Is Archaeology?

Fossils and Artefacts

An archaeologist is someone

who tries to find out about the

ancient past by looking at the

remains of ancient people -

their fossils and artefacts

A fossil is the remains of a

living thing (plants, animals,

people), NOT man-made

things

An artefact is the remains of

a man-made thing

What is a site?

A site is a place that

archaeologists want to

explore

At the site, archaeologists dig

to find artefacts and fossils

that can give them

information about ancient

cultures

This is why they call the site

a “dig”

Finding a Site

How do archaeologists know

where to dig?

First, archaeologists think

about what people needed to

stay alive - including access to

drinking water, protection, and

access to trade routes

With this in mind, where do you

think they often look first?

Along the banks of rivers and

streams

Finding a Site

Then, they check out reports

of artefacts that have already

been discovered by other

archaeologists, farmers or

construction companies

Next, they check the area from

the air, looking for large

depressions that could

indicate the ruins of an ancient

living area

They use instruments like

radar and sonar

Permission to Dig

Archaeologists must get permission to

dig at a site from the owners of the

land, or sometimes from the

government

Once permission is received,

archaeologists work together in teams

to explore the area

They look for evidence that people

once lived there

What kind of evidence are they looking

for?

Fossils, artefacts, disturbed ground

Grids and Labelling

Before they start to dig, archaeologists

set out a grid on the ground using rope

and string

Each square on the grid is marked and

labelled, on the ground and on maps of

the site

They search each square of the grid

carefully and keep a record of anything

that is found, including what is found

next to it

What is the value of the grid system?

It allows them to mark precisely where

each fossil or artefact is found on their

maps

Strata

Archaeologists uncover artefacts in layers called strata

Older artefacts are found in the lowest strata and newer ones in the

upper strata - explain this please

Artefacts found in the same strata were probably deposited around

the same time, perhaps by the same group of people

Looking at strata allows archaeologists to understand how a site has

been used over time

How has this site been used over time?

Tools of the Trade

Some tools archaeologists

use are very simple - trowels,

brushes, spoons, dental

picks, sieves, saws, dustpans

and wheelbarrows

Others are more high-tech,

including radar and sonar

equipment, or surveying

equipment

Back in the Lab

Once artefacts and fossils

are located, labelled and

removed from a site, they are

taken back to a lab

Here they are photographed,

re-labelled and placed into a

database

Archaeologists can then

further investigate these

items to learn about the

people who made, used or

encountered them

1. Stonehenge

2. The Antikythera

Mechanism

3. Canopic jars

What is it?

1. While working in your backyard, you

find a 1m-long bone made out of

stone. Is this a fossil or an artefact?

A fossil

2. While walking in the bush near your

house, you find an old arrowhead. Is

this a fossil or an artefact?

An artefact