The word “archaeology” can mean a variety of things depending on whom you ask.  For some it invokes the idea of a romantic, epic adventure in search for treasure.  Others would mistakenly argue that it is the science of digging up dinosaur bones (which actually is paleontology).  Some even refer to it as the “Science of Rubbish” (Fagan 1985:  10).  From just these few descriptions, it should be obvious that archaeology is a “many-sided affair,” and what archaeology means can greatly vary depending what side a person is on (Kenyon 1961:  22).  It is necessary then, to demonstrate how archaeology can encompass all of these things, and so much more.

  
    Many people today (including those in Hollywood) prefer to characterize archaeology as a glorified treasure hunt.  While many picture “archaeologists in a world of lost cities, strange idols, and troves of gold, ” in reality, archaeology deals with a much wider range of artifacts and sites (Fagan 1985:  9).  In many cases a thousand-year-old stone tool can have as much significance to an archaeologist as a jewel-encrusted idol.  This view, however, has evolved over time.  In the past, people who chose to dig up artifacts often did so with the express purpose of finding items that were rare and valuable, while ignoring other things that are considered important by contemporary archaeologists, such as provenance (exact location of the artifact) and its relation to other features, such as the remains of a living area (see Figure 2).  Although this looting erased much of the human record, “archaeology grew from these roots” into the academic discipline it is today (Fagan 1985:  26).  Perhaps the ideologies associated with its origins explain why so many people still associate the images of grave robbers and treasure hunters with archaeology.  Yet archaeologists have a responsibility to correct this mentality, because although archaeology does occasionally deal with lost cities and treasures, it does so in a much more responsible manner than it did in the past. 

    This is not to say, however, that there is no adventure in archaeology.  Although few archaeologists would characterize themselves as Indiana Jones or Lara Croft, many will agree that there is a certain thrill to discovering something from the past, whether it be a couple of decades or centuries old.  While the focus of contemporary archaeologists has moved from finding rare relics to studying what is in essence peoples’ rubbish from long ago, these artifacts are treasures in the sense that they give us invaluable clues about past civilizations and cultures.  Nonetheless, for those who work in archaeology as a profession, or even as a serious hobby, there is a great deal more to it than adventure.  Although all archaeologists hope to feel the thrill of discovery, a large amount of work and research goes into archaeology before a shovel ever breaks the dirt.  Because archaeology is a method of “finding out about the past of the human race in its material aspects, and the study of the products of this past” it is essential that it is conducted in a disciplined, exacting manner or else much could be irretrievably lost (Kenyon 1961: 9).  This allows archaeologists to obtain the most precise information and reach the most accurate conclusions from the limited amount of clues that they have available to them.  This method includes finding a site, excavating the site, recording the dig, and evaluating the information.

    In locating potential sites of archaeological significance, guesses, inferences, research, and even luck are sometimes needed.  The geography of the area must be considered.  Perhaps the prehistoric people settled mainly along rivers and streams in an area, or possibly in caves.  Most often it was a combination of such factors that makes it very difficult for today’s archaeologists to determine which geographic features are relevant in locating potential sites (Gorenstein 1965:  31).  Considerations of the prehistoric climate and geography are necessary as well, due to changes over time.  Some archaeologists make inferences from animal fossil findings.  An archaeologist in South America dug in an area where many Pleistocene fossils had been found and which also had an ancient stone quarry nearby from which tools could have been made.  A summer’s survey revealed a hundred sites (Gorenstein 1965:  32).  With increasing sophistication, maps and aerial surveys are being used to evaluate an area’s geography and likelihood of containing a site.  Along with such intellectual means of finding sites, pure luck is occasionally involved. Two of the 20th century’s most famous sites, that of the cave paintings at Lascaux in France (see Figure 3) and the Dead Sea Scrolls in Palestine were found by unwitting youths purely by chance (Bahn 1996:  209, 251).  Despite these well-publicized findings, as a general rule, selecting potential sites is a difficult process with many factors to consider.

  
    Once a site is selected, the dig can begin.  The dig is the portion of archaeology most identified with by the public.  There are many logistical aspects of the dig that are important for it to be successful but which are often taken for granted.  These include determining the size of the crew needed and establishing a camp which functions smoothly.  A crew must sleep well and eat well if they are to dig well (Gorenstein 1965:  55).  The actual excavation is the most important part of the dig.  Ideally, archaeologists dig directly downwards so that the horizontal layers of the site and the artifacts from each layer can be correctly matched (Gorenstein 1965:  58).  Also, a datum point must be established when the dig begins.  This is the reference point from which all measurements are made (Gorenstein 1965:  57).  This is essential to maintain meticulous records of the site.  Also, the correct tools must be used and the utmost care taken by the excavating crew.  “Other general rules are to loosen only a small amount of dirt at a time to help keep the exact location of the artifacts and to clean the dirt as soon as possible (Gorenstein 1965:  60).  There are variations to this method for digging due to the site types and the archaeologist’s training.  If the excavation is orderly and accurate records kept, the method is correct (Gorenstein 1965:  65). 

    The most important aspect of the excavation is exact record keeping.  By digging a site, in the process it gets destroyed.  As a result, records of the dig are all that is left to study.  The crew keeps notebooks along with a work log and sketches, photos, and maps of the site.  The artifacts must also be cleaned and organized for shipment.  One of the things not included in the archaeologist’s method after a dig is breaking the laws of the host country by smuggling artifacts out, Hollywood’s accounts notwithstanding (Gorenstein 1965:  101).

   
    Once the dig is over and recorded, and the artifacts shipped home, the analysis begins.  In fact, after the excavation, only half of the work is done.  Thankfully current technology such as carbon dating provides an important tool in dating sites.  Of course, the artifacts found are the best clues in helping the archaeologist paint a picture of past life.  In the end, once the analysis is done, the conclusions are usually not as exciting as popular fiction but much more reliable and rooted in fact (Gorenstein 1965:  134).  It is by following the disciplined method that is archaeology that the past is reconstructed in surprising detail which contributes to mankind’s growing self-knowledge of our history on this planet.

   
    Although archaeology is many things to many people, it provides everyone with the ability to better understand our past, if we take advantage of it.  One of the best parts of archaeology is that you don’t have to a professional to understand what it is and how it works.  It is a way for all of mankind to take an interest in our past and understand how it effects the present and the future.  Whether archaeology is a fleeting interest, a hobby, or a career, it is a means in which everyone can learn about the past and how it impacts our future. 

   

Figure 3: Disemboweled Bison attacking Birdman in Lascaux paintings(Bahn 1996:  209).




















 
Figure 4: A trowel: not quite as a cool as a bullwhip but an essential tool for archaeology (image courtesy of  http://archaeology.wlu.edu/program.html)

Bahn, Paul.  
1996 The Cambridge Illustrated History of Archaeology, New York:  Cambridge University Press.

Fagan, Brian M.