The Archaeologist

Question 1

How can evidence such as bodies be preserved?

Answer 1

European peat bogs preserve bodies extremely well, the combination of cold, acidic water and airlessness below the water level.

Question 2

What is archaeology?

Answer 2

Archaeology is the study of the remains left by people in the past

Question 3

What’s an excavation?

Answer 3

When archaeologists dig up the ground to find evidence left by people in the past.

Question 4

What are artefacts?

Answer 4

Objects made by people, such as spears, clothes and radio- carbon dating.

Question 5

What substance is in all living things when they are alive?

Answer 5

Carbon- 14 dating

Question 6

What is carbon- 14 dating?

Answer 6

All living things contain it when they’re alive, after death the level of carbon-14 drops, the less carbon-14 the older it is.

Question 7

give 5 ways a of dating archaeology:

Answer 7

1. geophysical surveying
2. pollen analysis
3. stratigraphy
4. dendrochronology
5. DNA testing

Question 8

how are artefacts such as documents, maps or photographs and so forth be safely stored?

Answer 8

In places such as archives and libraries.

Question 9

what is geophysical surveying?

Answer 9

it’s like an x-ray of the ground without an excavation. this method was used to investigate Newgrange.

Question 10

what is pollen analysis?

Answer 10

the study of pollen remains to find out what was growing at a site during a particular time period. archaeologists have records of when certain pollens were common, if they find that pollen they’ll tell what time period it was from.

Question 11

what is stratigraphy?

Answer 11

used to date artefacts and evidence by how deep in the ground they were when found: the deeper they are, the older.

Question 12

what is dendrochronology?

Answer 12

also called tree-ring dating that uses the growth patterns of tree rings as a guide. each ring is a year of growth. It can be used to date wooden objects.

Question 13

what is DNA testing?

Answer 13

Archaeologists sometimes find bodies when they excavate sites. DNA testing can tell you where they came from and who their people were.

Question 14

what is a heritage sight?

Answer 14

A place where they re-create a time in history e.g. the Ferrycarrig.

Question 15

give 5 ways how archaeologists find sites:

Answer 15

1. The ruins of an old building.
2. Aerial photography
3. Rescue archaeology
4. Research archaeology
5. Accidental

Question 16

What is aerial photography.

Answer 16

From a helicopter or drone.

Question 17

What is rescue archaeology?

Answer 17

Before you can get planning permission for a road or new building, you must make sure there is no evidence on the site that will be lost forever.

Question 18

What is research archaeology?

Answer 18

Research archaeology, an old document, map or other records that might reveal that a building or structure once existed in the site.