Archaeology

By Lea, Lara, Tara, Grace, Amber and Lauren B 

How do Archaeologists decide how old an object is? 

When archaeologists find objects in the ground they are cleaned, bagged and labelled according to where they were found in the site. Computers can help to record information. Archaeologists find it hard to date some artefacts that they find. They would be able to date an object if it was near a coin with a date on it. Pollen from plants found at a site can also date objects. 

There are three main methods that archaeologists use to date objects found in the ground: 

1. Radio Carbon Dating 

Carbon or radio carbon dating is a scientific method used to find out how old something that once lived. All humans, plants and animals have Carbon 14. Carbon 14 is tiny dots scattered on our bones. When we die the amount of carbon on our bones begin to decline so the older the object is, the less carbon 14 will be on it. 

2. Stratigraphy: 

Stratigraphy is a method used to help date objects found in the ground. You date the objects depending on how deep in the ground they are found (what layer of soil). In most cases the deeper they are found the older they are. 

3. Dendrochronology: 

Dendrochronology is the dating of wooden objects. Archaeologists can determine how old a log or a tree is by looking at the amount of rings a tree has. Every year a wooden object grows a new ring, so if the tree was two years old it would have two rings and if it was three years old it would have three rings and so on. 

How do objects end up in the ground? 

Objects end up in the ground for many reasons when people loose objects they maybe found years later in the soil. When people die they are often buried with some of their personal possessions, others may have buried them for safe keeping. From these objects we can gather a picture of the past. 

What is the difference between history and archaeology? 

History is the study of the past using sources. 

Archaeology is the study of the past using artefacts. 

How are sites chosen to be excavated? 

Archaeologists choose a site by doing research on the site. Sites are also excavated when big structures are about to be built. For example, when roads are going to be built, archaeologists will excavate the site to make sure nothing from the past is lost. 

How do archaeologists excavate a site? 

Archaeologists excavate a site by using modern techniques such as a geophysical survey. They use a machine like an x-ray to look at the soil under the ground. They dig test trenches and take areial photographs to make a detailed plan of the site. Then they divide it into one meter square areas so that the archaeologist will investigate the site more carefully.