Table of Contents
Where do archaeologists dig?
Artifacts can be almost anywhere—on the ocean floor, inside caves, buried underground. How do archaeologists know where to look? Sometimes they get lucky. A worker may be digging a new basement, and a 2,000-year-old bowl appears!
How do archeologists get permission to dig?
Archaeologists may suspect an area may be rich with discoveries, but they cannot simply start digging. An archaeologist cannot dig anywhere he or she wants. They need permission from the owner of the land. Sometimes, they need permission from the government of a country.
What happens at an archaeological dig site?
Archaeologists dig up and study the physical (material) remains of people who lived long ago, including their public architecture, private houses, art, objects of daily life, trash, food, and more, to answer questions about who the people were, how they lived, what they ate, and what their lives were like.
Do archaeologists dig up bones?
Archaeology is rightly associated with digging, but archaeologists do not dig for dinosaur fossils. Paleontologists, who specialize in the field of geology, are the scientists that dig up dinosaur bones. Archaeologists excavate at places where people lived in the past, such as ancient camps, villages, and cities.
Why do archaeologists have to dig carefully?
We dig carefully because we want to know the context of every find – that’s actually the single most important piece of information we are after. Knowing the context of something can make all the difference in how we understand it.
What kind of tools do archaeologists use to dig?
Shovels, trowels, spades, brushes, sieves, and buckets are some of the more obvious or common tools that an archaeologist may carry with them to most digs. Keep in mind that the tool types used may vary depending on the type of excavation.
How big of an area do archaeologists have to dig?
On digs, archaeologists usually excavate material in 10 by 10 foot (3 by 3 meter) squares. Digging must be done carefully to not destroy buried structures or smaller artifacts.
What do archaeologists need to know about a site?
If there are no previously recorded sites, the archaeologist will conduct an archaeological survey. If there are sites, the archaeologist will want to know how many, their locations, and how the sites relate to each other. Usually, to save time and money, the archaeologists only test a sample of the area.
How are artifacts removed from an archaeological dig?
Artifacts are placed in bags and labeled with the location where they were found. Soil removed from the site is transported away, as the excavation proceeds down to the next layer.