The archaeologist

Question 0

Rescue archaeology

Answer 0

Archaeologists carry out a dig before construction of a new road or building takes place.

Question 1

Research archaeology

Answer 1

Some sites are chosen to be excavated because there is reason to believe that an artefact will be found.
E.g. a story or reference to the area in a document.

Question 2

Geophysical survey

Answer 2

Archaeologists x-ray the site with a machine to look at the soil beneth.

Question 3

Aerial photography

Answer 3

A photo of the site from the sky. It might show features not visible from ground level.

Question 4

Archaeologist

Answer 4

They dig up the ground to find clues/evidence from the past left by our ancestors.

Question 5

Artefact

Answer 5

Man-made objects fron the past.

E.g. Pottery, coins, tools, weapons…

Question 6

Post - holes

Answer 6

Dark patches left by wooden poles in the soil. They might show the outside of a house even though the house no longer exists.

Question 7

Stratigraphy

Answer 7

A method of dating artefacts. The lower down in the soil they are found the older they are.

Question 8

Carbon or Radiocarbon dating

Answer 8

A method of dating artefacts. All living things contain carbon-14 when the living thing dies it begins to loose carbon-14. The older the object the less carbon-14 in it

Question 9

Dendrochronology

Answer 9

A method of dating wooden objects. Each year a tree adds a new ring to it’s trunk. The rings add up to tell us the age of the tree. Archaeologists study ring patterns on wooden objects date them.