Achill Archaeological Field School Skills

Achill Archaeological Field School. Student Worksheet Archaeology Archaeos = old, ancient Logos = word, study Archaeology is a discipline that involves a systematic approach to uncovering the past, and a way of thinking. 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 in order to answer questions about who the people were, how they lived, what they ate, and what their lives were like. Excavation Archaeological excavation is digging, recording, and interpreting the physical remains of the people who lived in an area in order to understand their culture. Site Any place where humans left remains of their existence. Culture Represents the beliefs and behaviour of a group of people. These cannot be excavated; however, the material culture (the objects and structures) people leave behind give us clues to their beliefs and behaviour. Material Culture Tangible remains of cultural behaviour: the tools, houses, art, food, and other objects and structures of people who lived in the past. Remains made of inorganic (never living) materials, such as stone and clay, survive better than those of organic (once living) materials that can rot and decay, such as wood, plant fibres, and animal hides. Both survive best in dry, sealed (air-tight) environments. Artefacts The objects, tools, pottery, and other items people used that have survived to be found by archaeologists. Artefacts are made or modified by humans and are portable. Features Structures made or modified by humans, such as buildings, pits, post holes, and caves, that are not portable. Context The association of artefacts and features found within a particular area or layer, and the relative position and relationship of this area or layer to the ones above it and below it. The context of archaeological finds is what allows archaeologists to interpret them and understand their function and meaning. Strata (Layers) (stratum = layer) Dirt, rubble from fallen buildings, and other debris that have built up in layers around the artefacts and features of past cultures. Successive strata may reflect entirely different time periods and cultures or different times within a single culture. Older layers are on the bottom, unless an earthquake, human activity, or other catastrophic event changes their position. Plan Horizontal scale drawing of an archaeological site. Each plan will include representations of different strata and contexts, as well as the locations of individual artefacts. Typically during an archaeological excavation many successive plans are made of each area, each one detailing the successive strata and contexts that are revealed as the excavation progresses. Section Vertical scale drawing showing a series of successive strata or contexts in relation to each other. A section drawing may be made across an individual feature, such as a pit, or along a trench edge showing the stratigraphy of a whole area of the site.

Rule 1

An Archaeologist digs down into the past. The top layer of soil is the newest. The bottom layer is the oldest.

Rule 2

When a datable artefact (such as a coin) is found, the soil layer it was found in can be dated either after or at the same time as the artefact

Rule 3

When a solid, undisturbed layer (such as a floor) is found, all the soil layers below it date before that layer

Ground Level

Present

1950s

1920s

1890s

1860s

Ground Level

1895 coin

What appears to be the date of Layer C?

Which layers are probably older than Layer C?

Which layers are probably newer than Layer C?

Ground Level

What appears to be the general date of Layers D and E?

Which layers are probably newer than Layer C?

1920s tile floor