The archaeological process Locating (finding) Excavating (digging) Post –excavation (what happens after digging)

Post –excavation (what happens after digging) Locating (finding) Excavating (digging) Post –excavation (what happens after digging) N.B. THESE THREE THINGS WILL BE THE FOCUS OF YOUR FIRST ASSESSMENT

Locating archaeological sites When was the last time you lost something? What was it? Did you find it again? How? In this lesson, we are going to look at the different ways in which archaeologists can locate (find) archaeological sites.

There are several ways archaeologists locate sites……… 1. Don’t lose them in the first place! 2. Find them by accident. 3. Field walking. 4. Geophysical Survey. 5. Aerial photography. 6. Underwater techniques. We’re going to look at each of these, and provide some examples.

1. Don’t lose them in the first place! A large number of archaeological sites have never been completely lost. Do you remember this site? Why do you think it has never been completely lost?

What would you like to know about Stonehenge? Write down your questions.

Now look at the website below to find answers to your questions: http://www.kidsdiscover.com/spotlight/stonehenge-for-kids/

2. Find by accident Many archaeological sites are discovered accidentally. This may be because of:

Reading: The accidental discovery of Lascaux You are going to read about the accidental discovery of one of the most famous paleolithic sites in the world, Lascaux.

What was life like 17,000 years ago? Discuss your ideas with your group. Do you know this cartoon?

The cave paintings at Lascaux Take the virtual tour of the caves at Lascaux: http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/?lng=en#/fr/00.xml As you explore the website, think about the following questions:

What do you see in the pictures? What are the most common colours? Why did cave artists make these paintings? What were these cave artists trying to say? What do the pictures tell us about life of people in the paleolithic? How did the artists make these pictures?

Find answers to these questions Look at the section called ‘Parietal art’ to find answers.

3. Field walking Field walking is really just organised walking. Archaeologists walk over a chosen area of land looking carefully at the ground for artifacts. This works especially well in fields that have just been ploughed by farmers. Why? What do you think are some of the advantages and disadvantages of field walking? Image from Greene, K. & Moore, T. (2010), ‘Archaeology: An Introduction’ Routledge, Oxford. P. 57

Field walking When archaeologists find artifacts, they may decide to excavate the area at a later date. Whilst field walking, archaeologists might find interesting features in the landscape. These can also be investigated.

What would you think if you saw this?

Or this?

4. Geophysical survey Excavation is slow and expensive. It is a good idea to know if there is something under the ground before you start to excavate! Geophysical survey allows archaeologists to get an idea of what is under the ground.

Resistivity These archaeologists are measuring the resistance of the earth to the passage of an electric current. What do you think happens when the electricity hits stone? Or metal? Image from Greene, K. & Moore, T. (2010), ‘Archaeology: An Introduction’ Routledge, Oxford. P. 73

Magnetometers This archaeologist is measuring the variations in the magnetic characteristics of the soil. Again, different buried features will respond differently to the equipment. Image from Greene, K. & Moore, T. (2010), ‘Archaeology: An Introduction’ Routledge, Oxford. P. 73

Image from Greene, K. & Moore, T Image from Greene, K. & Moore, T. (2010), ‘Archaeology: An Introduction’ Routledge, Oxford. P. 74

5. Aerial photography Aerial photography means taking photographs from the air, high above the ground. How can this be done?

What do you think are some disadvantages of aerial photography? It can be expensive. You need special equipment. You have to know about photography. You have to know when is the best time to take pictures. You have to be able to understand what the photographs show you.

Now look at these aerial photographs Now look at these aerial photographs. What are some advantages of aerial photography?

The marks you can see in the fields are called cropmarks The marks you can see in the fields are called cropmarks. How does this work? Image from Greene, K. & Moore, T. (2010), ‘Archaeology: An Introduction’ Routledge, Oxford. P. 64

Image from Renfrew, C. & Bahn, P Image from Renfrew, C. & Bahn, P. (2012), ‘Archaeology: Theories, Methods, & Practice’ Thames & Hudson, London. P. 79

Image from Greene, K. & Moore, T Image from Greene, K. & Moore, T. (2010), ‘Archaeology: An Introduction’ Routledge, Oxford. P. 68

Remember Stonehenge? Here is an aerial photograph taken in 1907: And here’s one from much more recently:

Have a look at these aerial photographs: What questions do you have about these images?

6. Underwater techniques What kinds of things might archaeologist be looking for under water?

How do underwater archaeologists find these things?

Sonar data can be used with a computer to produce pictures like this: