Excavation in the nineteenth century was often used by treasure hunters to loot artefacts and antiquities for personal gain, and speculation was often made on their findings. Archaeologists today do not accept these procedures, excavations are now done strategically, and a controlled plan must be put in place before an excavation begins. Excavations are destructive, so they must only be done for specific reasons such as research or rescue. Research excavations are used when the perceived data benefits the destruction, such as training students, for conversation purposes or community work. Excavation is also used to rescue sites, an example of this is a new building development and remains will be destroyed in the build. Excavations are …show more content…
Some of the methods used are shovel tests, test pits, trenches, box-grid, area excavation, quadrant system and the planum method. At the beginning of an excavation, the site can be prepared by setting out a measured grid, this is to accurately keep records of objects found and test samples taken. In preparation for excavation, shovel testing and test pitting are used for soil sampling, these are done in routine breaks to test for differences in the soil. Samples are laboratory tested and screened through fine mesh to uncover artefacts and materials. The box-grid method was introduced by Sir Mortimer Wheeler, this method gives a vertical profile which shows changes in the soil and texture, and a horizontal profile will show how the site was used. Visually the box-grid has an appearance like a waffle, but this method is not very effective on deep stratigraphy or time, however, it is still widely used in South Asia. The tools used when excavating are shovels, rulers, trowels, brushes, picks, buckets and many other small hand tools, these are used for precision, accuracy, and to prevent damaging evidence. In some cases, machinery is also used, the decision made for machinery or hand depends on the time, cost, and amount of information required. After the soil has been removed it …show more content…
Findings of similar nature are classified together, this gives some structure, and helps to create a sequence of the evidence collected. All evidence is collected and analysed using the appropriate methods, and it is important evidence and documentation from the site is cross-referenced for accuracy. Typological sequence dating is used from artefacts that have been gathered over a long period of time from different sites, these artefacts have been put together and a sequence has been established. These artefacts show variations over time, change is gradual, and it could be a modification with the design style by adding a slight curve to a blade. Typology can be examined and cross-referenced for relative dating and to give culture history. Stratification is used for relative dating, this is based on layered deposits, therefore, shows a sequence of dating from the bottom layer being older than the top layer. Using the deposited layers, we can form an association with any materials left in them, if more than one object is found within a sealed deposit on the same site and in the same layer, we can assume they are from the same period. These types of sequences can be correlated between sites to give us manufacturing dates and a cultural history
The second question frequently asked regarding Schliemann’s legacy examines his motives and skill as an excavator: was Heinrich Schliemann a good archaeologist? This question has two sides. First, did Schliemann use the best techniques and technology available to him at time of his first excavation? Second, did he have the same values that other archaeologists have?
...ts were labelled with the upper case letters which represented the material types and a numeric letter. The artifacts were placed in different boxes. The artifact analysis was then conducted and the characteristics such as tool type and material type of each artifact were recorded on the artifact catalog forms. The material samples of lithic tools, faunal remains, and ceramics remains were compare with existing artifacts to identify their material type. The Vernier scale was used for the measurements of each lithic tools.
Schliemann’s archaeological breakthrough was instigated 6.5 km from the Aegean Sea in Turkey. In 1865, German-American adventurer Schliemann arrived at what was assumed to be Troys location. After reading the Iliad and inspecting the “Tell of Hissarlik” he was convinced he had found Troy. Schliemann believed that the Iliad was so true that it must be based on history, and his discovery of one of the many promising tells in the area motivated him to begin his dig. He discovered that this Tell had nine major levels and large walls, like Homer described. He claimed that the second (Troy II) was Homers ‘Citadel of Priam’. However if Schliemann and Homers Troy were the same, literature did not confirm.
In conclusion, Pompeii still has unexcavated areas which modern day experts are debating to keep not excavate anymore, and instead leave it for future archaeologists with more advanced technologies than current times. Since the introduction of archaeology in Pompeii in the 19th and 20th century, the city that was uncovered and full of mysteries is now coming back to
One of these is infrared satellite imagery. This is explained in paragraph 2-"Infrared satellite imagery can locate objects on the ground less than two feet wide. Infrared light also can penetrate about a foot below the surface and detect differences in the soil." At first, this might seem like a great idea. But it has plenty of cons. In paragraph 4, it is explained that infrared satellite imagery needs manual help in order to reveal any discoveries, and that takes lots of time. It goes on in paragraph 6, stating that infrared cannot be used in jungles, which is exactly where many ancient civilizations hide, buried beneath the tree canopies. It also doesn't scan very deep, so anything over a foot below the surface will remain undescoverd. Another technique is brought up in paragraph 11, called Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR). "The GPR sent pulses of microwave energy underground, where it bounced off buried objects. They used state of the art software to analyze the radar echoes and constructed a 3D map," (Paragraph 11). Once again, this technology has serious negatives. Scientists had to drag this bulky lawnmover-like machine in blazing heat across the jungle floor (paragraph 11). This machine is great for a workout, but not it you want to discover lost civilizations
A plethora of methods exist to analyse soil in order to determine grave location varying from geophysical techniques to lab analysis. These tests rely on testing soil samples to determine their origins, samples can be compared with others to see how closely they match. Each method has advantages and disadvantages, in forensic contexts results need to be accurate so evidence can hold up in court therefore certain tests will be better suited for the task. The main types of soil are clay, silt, and sand the soils formation and properties are determined by the parent material, climate where it originated, topography, the organisms that inhabit it, and time. The type of soil and particle size determines which techniques are appropriate (Pye & Blott, 2004). The value of soil in relation to determining grave location is essential in preventing a lengthy excavation process, statistical testing is conducted to determine if the samples are a match and if they are how significant.
artifacts, as shown by one of the two wooden clubs dredged from buried deposits that was found
In conclusion, radiocarbon dating, infrared analysis, X-ray analysis, and neutron activation are all methods of testing artifacts to determine if they are forgeries. Neutron activation and X-ray analysis are the most popular dating technique because they are more precise and they do not harm the tested material. All these techniques used together can provide a date the artifact is from and the elements that make up the artifact. These techniques give a good idea of when it was made and where the artifact is from. If an artifact is forged then the results will not support the forgerers story and the forged artifact will be discovered.
While digging in the far reaches of the African outback, now know as the western part of Kenya, archaeologist Bozo excavated a site that revolutionized the thoughts of the scientific world. At this site they found many interesting artifacts and paintings that included proof of an early civilization. At this time scientists are calling this civilization “Pontu” after one of the paintings suggested that a pontoon was used for transportation across Lake Victoria, one of the adjacent lakes.
In order to determine the recovered data correctly, the archaeological context of the cremation remnants should be taken into account. As Cremation is not simply burning a body, there are myriad stages, technologies, and actions involved which can vary between communities and across time (Thompson, 2015, 1).The context can be influenced by several factors that are of influence on the quantity and quality of data that will be found. The type of deposit, taphonomic factors and disturbance can affect the amount of bone that will be recovered. Additionally, the contextual factors can influence the condition of the bones such as bone survival and the level of fragmentation. The degree of fragmentation is be caused by the circumstances inside (e.g. dehydration; McKinley, 2013, 162) and outside (e.g. stages of manipulation, burial microenvironment and excavation procedures; McKinley, 1994b) of the bone (McKinley, 2013,
This week in my science class, Reading and Writing Science, we studied Archeology. Archeology is a field that requires the background information of history and the scientific methods of science. This profession, like most others, is very susceptible to the dangerous of human error. Through my own experience in class after viewing seven, foreign pictures, I have learnt that archeology has to do almost entirely with human observations and perspectives. After a body or an artifact is dug up, it is the job of archeologists to figure out as much as they can about the different objects. Because humans are not omnipotent creatures, sometimes they are wrong in their assumptions and conclusions on the history of these artifacts. After revisiting the pictures and being told the story and professional findings of each one, I too found there were errors in my observations; sometimes I omitted some artifacts and made unknown prejudice or cultural assumptions on the deceased individuals, which in turn caused me to interpret the evidence incorrectly.
Discussions in the 1970’s and 1980’s within both sides of the debate indicate population change, behavior change and natural processes to be the large determining factors (Attenbrow, 2004). Many archaeologists accepted there was a continuing increase over time in the number of archaeological sites established and used, as well as in the number of artefacts accumulated in individual sites, particularly in the past 5000 years (eg. Johnson 1979:39; Bowdler1981; Morwood 1984:371, 1986, 1987; Ross 1984, 1985:87; Beaton 1985: 16-18; Fletcher-Jones 1985: 282, 286; Lourandos 1985a: 393-411, 1985b: 38; White and Habgood 1985; Hiscock 1986) (Attenbrow, 2004). Population change refers to the changes in number of people or size of the population, behavioural changes referring to changes to activities such as tool manufacturing, subsistence practices as well as the use of space within a site (Attenbrow, 2004). Whilst natural processes include geomorphological and biological process that may have affected the archaeological record (At...
The Upper Paleolithic Era occurred about 50,000 years ago and lasted nearly one-tenth of the more widely known Stone Age Era(Guisepi). During this time, Homo Sapiens were leaving the Middle Paleolithic Era, where advancements such as; points, arrows, darts, as well as other projectile tools originated, for the Upper Paleolithic Era. It is important to point out that during the Middle Paleolithic Era, the Homo Sapiens made large advancements in, “ the application of ‘prepared core technique.’” In this process, “a core was carefully flaked on one side so that for a flake of predetermined size and shape could be produced in a single blow(Middle)” By using this technique they gained knowledge of how to cre...
...anges which occurred over a period of time and why these changes occurred but who was responsible for them. Archaeological findings are essential especially when there is a lack of written primary sources. The most common findings in this field include; cave art, pottery, and weaponry used for both hunting and fighting. In later cases of archaeological excavations written evidence was well provided and artifacts recovered at the site were used as an aid in studying a particular culture. Moreover, it is quite obvious that all of the following elements pertaining to archaeology have positively contributed to our further understanding of human culture in previous centuries. Discoveries by archeologists not only give us significant insight into our past but they also give us essential information necessary for a comprehensive understanding of our present and our future.
Archaeologists are scattered across the gamut. Considering knowledge of human past is valuable to numerous academic disciplines. Varieties of archaeological application include: cultural resource management, heritage conservation, historic preservation,