Pieces of evidence from the past are known as artefacts.
Archaeology means 'the study of ancient things'.
How do they get into the ground?
People may lose them.
People may hide them but
something might happen to
them so they can't retrieve it
again.
Items may be buried alongside people.
Whole towns are sometimes lost.
How do archaeologists find these artefacts?
They are often just lucky
They use geophysics.
When a new building/road is
being built it is possible for an
archaeologist to examine the
area.
Some sites are
found after listening
to stories.
Some sites can be found
from above using a plane
or a helicopter
Excavation/dig
1.Plan very carefully to make sure nothing breaks.
2.Preserve the site of animals, bad weather etc. 3.
Once the top layer of soil has been removed, the
archaeologists begin work.
Tools
Pick-axe to loosen the soil, trowels
to remove small amounts of soil,
brushes to allow soil to be carefully
removed from an artefact, sieves
so that no matter how small the
artefact it won't be thrown away &
drawing frames to record the
position you found the object
How to tell how old things are?
Stratigraphy
The older the object the further
down in the ground it will be.
Carbon Dating
Every living thing contains a
chemical called Carbon-14
while it is alive. When it dies, it
begins to slowly release
Carbon-14. The older the
object the less Carbon-14 it
will have.
The Bones of a Skeleton
Pelvis: Man or woman. Teeth:
Depending on how old they are the
skeleton's age can be estimated.
Bones: If there are broken bones, it
may be possible to tell how the person
died. Thigh: How tall the person was.
Body hair/skin: What the person ate &
drank.
Dendrochronology
This method is used to date any
wooden object. Each year a tree adds
a layer of wood to it's trunk &
branches. The tree ring creates a sort
of pattern that can be compared to
other trees. Archaeologists have
created a record of the pattern going
back thousands of years.