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10 Common Misconceptions About Archaeologistsby: Shana Leslie

There are very few scientic elds as misunderstood as the eld of archaeology, and even fewerelds have been as romanticized. Anthropology, the parent eld of archaeology, is also the onlyscientic study not taught in American schools.

iology, geology, geography, chemistry, computers and technology ! we"re introduced to the verybasics of these sciences before we even enter high school. #hy not archaeology andanthropology$ After all, anthropology is the study of human%ind&

't"s no wonder there are so many misconceptions about archaeologists. (ere are the ten mostcommon:

Archaeologists dig up dinosaurs: )ALS*

Archaeologists do +T dig up dinosaurs. -aleontologists dig up dinosaurswhose bones have been fossilizing in the ground for around / million years.Archaeologists study the life and behavior of modern people, who rstappeared sometime around 011thousand years ago. 2inosaurs and humanbeings are separated by millions of year. 3alling an archaeologist apaleontologist is li%e calling a duc% a sh. They both li%e water, but they live intotally di4erent levels of it.

Archaeologists don"t do anything useful: )ALS*

Archaeology has long been viewed as a gloried academic hobbywith little real practical application. This may have been true acentury ago when archaeology was still growing as a discipline,but modern archaeology has grown up 5odern archaeologists


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but modern archaeology has grown up 5odern archaeologists

were crushed and lost in the onslaught of early e9cavators. Than%fully, those days are gone. Today"s e9cavations are meticulous, and every bit and artifact is plotted and recorded.*9cavations re8uire permits and approval, and graves are disturbed as little as possible seeArchaeologists li%e to dig up graves, below;. 'n the present, archaeologists are collecting and

analyzing scientic data to uncover trends in human behavior, human ecology, and more. (umanremains are only uncovered when it"s legal to do so, and if doing so will help us answer specic8uestions about the culture being studied.

Archaeologists spend most of their time e9cavating: )ALS*

Some archaeologists wish this were true& *9cavation is only onepiece of the archaeological puzzle < a crucial piece. *9cavation isone cog in a systematic scientic machine whose goal is to answer aspecic research 8uestion.

#hen an archaeologist e9cavates a site they collect data on everyaspect it ! soil samples, artifacts, features, =otation results.*verything that>s uncovered must be cleaned, measured, and

cataloged. nce the data is compiled, the real analysis begins.

)or every day spent e9cavating, wee%s or months are spent in an o?ce or lab, recording andanalyzing every detail.

Archaeologists like to dig up graves: FALSE

*9cavating human remains is tedious, time7consuming, costly, and oftencontroversial. The cleaning, analysis, curation, and repatriation of humanremains after e9cavation is also very e9pensive. ne s%eleton uncovered on asite can stop the rest of the dig in its trac%s, completely ta%ing over thee9cavation. Legal authorities must get involved and the paperwor% doubles.


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reason to thin% that a random archaeologist %nows more about the pharaohs than the averagehobbyist.

Archaeologists get to %eep their nds: )ALS*

Archaeologists don"t get to %eep any of their nds, whether it"sgold, a well7preserved artifact, or 6ust a souvenir potsherd. *ven ifthey could, there are very few archaeologists who would horde apiece of the archaeological record. Archaeologists are scientists,and with that role comes pride and professionalism. There is a

deep sense of desire in the archaeological community to ma%einformation available to other researchers and to the public.Archaeologists see themselves as the curators of humanity. #edon>t li%e to %eep things to ourselves. 't would be li%e a librarianstealing and hording boo%s from the library. 't>s silly&

Archaeologists are running out of things to dig up: )ALS*

There are two things that humans do really well. #e e9plore new lands,and leave trash behind when we do. The world is literally littered with011,111 years worth of modern man>s activities. *very country hasthousands and thousands of archaeological sites 7 most of which haveyet to be discovered. 5any well7%nown sites, where e9cavation has beenongoing for years, are only partially uncovered. )or e9ample, anestimated one7third of -ompeii still lies buried. 2igital and satellitetechnologies have enabled archaeologists to locate thousands of sitesthat were previously un%nown. The image to the left shows the morethan ,111 archaeological sites, most previously un%nown, that arevisible from a car in *ngland. These were compiled by archaeologyenthusiasts with the help of Boogle Street Ciew technology. ne


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There"s only one %ind of archaeologist: )ALS*

Li%e any eld, archaeology has its own branches and specializations. Aswell as the more DtraditionalD archaeologists, there are zooarchaeologistswho specialize in human7animal interactions, and help study hunting andanimal domestication. *9perimental archaeologists recreate thebehaviors of ancient people. They learn s%ills li%e =int7%napping, weaving,and butchering, to better understand how artifacts end up the way theydo. (istorical archaeologists specialize in cultures and sites for whichwriting is available, usually within the past few centuries. *nvironmental

archaeologists specialize in reconstructing past ecosystems in whichpeople lived. They loo% at soil samples, pollen grains, insects, and other, often microscopic, cluesto nd out whether a site was a swamp, a forest, or a desert in the past. They also study howhumans impacted their environment, and wor% on applying those ndings to modernenvironmental policies and practices.

Last @pdated: 0/ ctober 01E


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Environmental Archaeology

Richardson Gill carried out extensive work in environmental archaeology in order to study

the impact of climatic changes on the Mayan society. According to his theory, acontinuous series of droughts were responsible for the numerous societal changes and

subsequent decline of the ancient civiliation.

!nvironmental archaeology deals with the study of interrelationship between the ancient

people and their natural environment. "t involves three sub#disciplines of archaeology,

vi., ooarchaeology that deals with the study of ancient animal remains, geoarchaeology

that deals with the study of soil, sediments, rocks, natural deposits, etc., and

archaeobotany that studies ancient plant remains. !nvironmental archaeology answersquestions relating to the kind of natural habitat that the ancient people were surrounded

by, the plants and animals living in that age, varieties of wild and cultivated crops,

animals that were hunted and those which were domesticated, species of plants and

animals that are now extinct, climatic changes that took place over a period of time, and

the e$ects that the changes in natural environment had on the lives of the people and on

their subsequent disappearance. !nvironmental archaeology encompasses %eld studies

along with laboratory experiments.

Ethnoarchaeology

&r. Malti 'agar carried out an ethnoarchaeological study at a chalcolithic site of Ahar in

Ra(asthan, "ndia. )he found striking resemblances between the dotted designs on the

clothes of the local tribal women and on the designs on the ancient ceramics recovered

from the site. *his shows how artistic sensibilities travel from one time period to the

other.

!thnoarchaeolog is the science that deals ith the ethnographic in estigation of li ing


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Landscape Archaeology

A comprehensive study of a historical landscape with respect to the rise and decline of

urbanism was done in the early -/0s by +ernard#1hilippe Groslier in the Angkor region of 2ambodia. 3e uncovered numerous evidences to show that overexploitation of landscape

was the main factor responsible for the decline of urban centers in the area.

4andscape archaeology is a broad division in archaeology that deals with the study of the

various changes that take place in di$erent landscapes, both naturally as well as due to

human intervention. n the basis of this, landscapes have been classi%ed into natural

and cultural landscapes, for archaeological purposes. *he study of how landscapes and

natural habitats are interlinked with human behavior and cultural changes is actually veryextensive. *here are a variety of changes that landscapes may undergo over a period of

time. *hese include natural changes with respect to topography, climate, soil, natural

calamities such as 5oods, landslides, tsunamis, rivers changing their courses, and so on,

and human induced changes such as agriculture, industrial and construction activities,

clearing of forest areas, etc. "nterestingly, the methods in landscape archaeology are also

used in order to to analye inequalities that may have prevailed in a social structure at a

given period of time.

Household Archaeology

&r. 1enelope Allison of the 6niversity of 4eicester had been excavating the household

remains at 1ompeii. !vidences revealed a number of surgical instruments from many

houses, which shows that %rst aid was available at the household level.

3ousehold archaeology is a comparatively recent development in archaeology that

happened between the late -70s and early -80s. "t involves a small#scale excavation

ithin a gi en area on an archaeological site "t considers e er single household as a


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*his is also known as marine archaeology or maritime archaeology. "t is associated with

the study of underwater evidences such as shipwrecks, water#buried cities, and other

inundated archaeological sites. "t is an expensive branch of archaeology and incurs a

much higher cost than any terrestrial archaeological excavation. >nowledge of speci%ctechniques and methods that need to be adopted in order to carry out excavations

underwater is a prerequisite. Archaeologists practicing in this %eld attempt to discover

submerged evidences by diving into the deep waters along with sophisticated

archaeological tools. An underwater excavation may also turn out to be a little risky at

times because one cannot guess what the conditions under the sea would be like.

3owever, it makes an exciting profession for adventure lovers.

Aviation Archaeology

"n ?00/, 3ungarian archaeologists used methods of geophysical survey in order to locate

a lost plane that crashed in +udapest during @orld @ar "". Remains recovered from this

excavation included the planes engine block, a part of one of its wings, a part where the

ammunition was kept, etc.

Aviation archaeology deals with %nding historical remains of aircraft, air#borne weaponry,

abandoned air bases or runways, and the like. "n short, it deals with everything that has

to do with the history of aviation. )ometimes, remains from aircraft crashes are found

under the sea, which are eventually recovered, recorded and studied. "t is due to this

reason that many people consider aviation archaeology as a branch of marine

archaeology, but this may only be true to a limited extent. *his is because there are also

a number of aviation archaeological remains found on land, in which case, it becomes aseparate division in itself. 2rash sites di$er largely in magnitude and remains. *he

remains range from military remains to civil remnants. "nstances of ancient air bases

found by aviation archaeologists have also been recorded. As far as the actual


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military history. *hese so#called war sites give valuable evidences to events, which took

place not only during a given war, but also before and after it, because not only actual

battle%elds but even military camp sites provide valuable evidences. Also, (ust as all

other sites tell us about how and when people lived, war sites tell us how and when theydied. All in all, battle%eld archaeology is an engrossing case#study of how written

historical accounts can undergo changes when actual material remains relating to the

recorded events are uncovered.

Commercial Archaeology

"n the -B0s, )ir Mortimer @heeler excavated at Arikamedu, near 1ondicherry, )outh

"ndia. !vidently, this site was a %shing village and an important foreign trading port

during -st century +.2. Artifacts recovered include Roman coins, statues, beads,

glassware and pottery.

2ommercial archaeology is actually a sub#discipline of archaeology, which deals with

everything that is related to commerce and trade. *his includes evidences with respect to

the commodities that were traded and bartered, numismatic %nds, ancient forms oftransportation that were used for commercial purposes, and so on. *he study of ancient

trade routes and sea ports, harbors and marketplaces, is also included in commercial

archaeology. *his is a very gripping study, as it answers questions such as which

countries had trade relations and in what commodities, what were the media of exchange

between them, how the commodities were transported, who and what all was involved,

how they coordinated, etc. Many a time, at commercial sites, ancient inscriptions are

found, which are obviously very valuable resources that are used for recording economichistories.


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include those related to activities such as manufacturing, mining, quarrying, milling,

building roads and other infrastructure, etc.

Salvage Archaeology

*he *urkish )tate @ater &epartment proposed to build a number of dams on the

!uphrates and *igris rivers in -8=. *he extent of this pro(ect also covered nearly half a

mile of Eeugma, an ancient Anatolian trading center. Rescue excavations on the site

uncovered numerous structures, mosaics, stone sculptures, etc.

)alvage archaeology, also known as rescue archaeology, is a name given to an

archaeological excavation which needs to be carried out in an emergency and with

utmost urgency on threatened sites. )alvage archaeological operations are carried out on

sites that are on the verge of being destroyed by new road constructions, dams,

buildings, or any other kind of infrastructure development. *he duty of the archaeologist

then, is to locate as many sites as possible in an assigned area, explore them, and

excavate them if deemed necessary, and ultimately record in detail all the %nds that have

been procured. Generally, in case of salvage archaeology, time is a constraint, and sodetailed excavation is di:cult to carry out. *herefore, archaeologists tend to record

whatever is found on the surface at the time of exploration. +ut, if it is realied during the

exploration that the site holds a prominent place in history, then detailed excavation can

be carried out and can thus alter the construction plans in some way or the other.

Experimental Archaeology

A classic example of practical application of the methods of experimental archaeology,

which was also aired on television worldwide was a series known as 4iving in the 1ast


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especially structures, are seldom found intactF the replication mostly depends on the

perception of the archaeologist.

orensic Archaeology

4aw enforcement agencies went on to employ forensic archaeologists in order to

investigate the genocide that took place in Rwanda in -B. *hey proved to be of great

help in locating the graves and in %nding valuable evidences to be presented in the court

of law.


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What Tools do Archaeologists UseFor people interested in archaeology, the information about what tools do archaeologists use would prove

to be helpful. Archaeology is all about discovering facts about past human culture to gain insight into the

practices they followed; their architecture and culture in general...

Advertisement

A science in which human culture is studied through the

recovery of artifacts, fossils, architecture, biofacts, etc. to carry

out further research is known as archaeology. The excavated

items are studied after documenting them properly. The

analysis and interpretation of artifacts, environmental data,

material culture, etc. form important steps in further research.

Since excavation forms an important part of archaeological

studies, it is necessary to have knowledge about what kind of

tools do archaeologists use in these excavations.

Excavation by archaeologists can be carried out in soft or hard soils. In few cases, they may even have to

go underwater for excavations. Therefore, many different tools are required by them, for the different

locations and different types of excavations. The archaeologists tool kit may contain two types of

equipment, commonly used field site tools and those used by specialists. Let us find out what tools

archaeologists use in recovering artifacts.

Field Site Tools

Field site equipment include digging tools, recording apparatus and safety kit. Digging tools help in

breaking the soil crust and uncovering artifacts. Here is a list of the various tools used by archaeologists.

k d l l h k h k d b k h d d d

http://www.buzzle.com/


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way.

Tools Used by Specialists

The archaeological tools mentioned below are mostly used in a laboratory environment. The information

about what tools do archaeologists use in laboratories is presented below.

Flotation Device: The flotation device is used to separate smaller and larger artifacts by the method

of light and heavy fraction. Soil samples which contain artifacts are kept in metal baskets and

washed by gentle streams of water. Light artifacts (for example, seeds) float at the top, while the

heavier objects sink down.

Equipment for Analysis: Simple tools like calipers and cotton gloves are needed to carry out the

analysis of artifact fragments. Gloves serve the purpose of preventing cross-contamination.

Nested Graduated Screens: Nested graduated screen are used for size-grading. In the process of

size-grading, the percentage of artifacts falling in different size-ranges are found out. Nestedgraduated screens used for this purpose have small mesh openings at the bottom and larger ones

at the top.

Weighing and Measuring: The artifacts obtained in excavations are carefully analyzed by weighing

and measuring them. Different types of scales are used for finding out correct measurements.

Archaeology is a vast discipline that uses artifacts as a means of delving into the history of past human

civilizations. It would be useful to find out why is archaeology important along with the information of

tools presented above. The various tools used in excavations and laboratories are of great importance infinding out details of artifacts.

By Shashank Nakate

Last Updated: September 21, 2011

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1. The Maya believed people were created from maize. T | F

2. People living in different Maya cities all spoke the same language. T | F

3. The Maya civilization extended from Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula to Panama. T | F

4. The Maya used wooden boards to elongate infants’ heads. T | F

5. The Maya used looms to weave their own clothing. T | F

6. The Maya put gold fillings in their teeth. T | F

7. Cacao beans were used to make jewelry. T | F

8. The Maya believed the number 13 was very unlucky. T | F

Maya or

Myth?

A True or False Quiz

The ancient Maya were expert mathematicians,

scientists, and architects who believed in human

sacrifice and sacred rituals. Take this True or Falsequiz to test your knowledge of the ancient Maya.


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PART 1: Match each artifact with the fact about Maya culture that best describes it.Write the letter that matches on the line.

Ancient

Artifacts

Archaeologists are scientists who search for artifacts so they

can learn more about ancient places and the people who lived

there in the past. They make inferences and draw conclusions

about the meaning of the artifacts to figure out how or why

the items were used by a group of people. “Dig” through theseclues to learn more about the ancient Maya culture.

ARTIFACT: MAYA FACT:

1. cacao pot ____ A. an instrument used to grind maize

2. metate ____ B. highly decorated glazed pottery used for trade

3. arrowhead ____ C. dental fillings often made of jade and usuallyreserved for the Maya elite

4. scepter ____ D. an item used to communicate with the gods

5. ballcourt marker ____ E. a vessel used to hold a sacred food

6. stingray spines ____ F. protective wear used by Maya warriors

7. tooth inlays ____ G. a staff used by a Maya king

8. shell goggles ____ H. a circular feature that established a dividing linebetween teams in Maya ball games

9. incense burner ____ I. instruments used for bloodletting

10. plumbate pot ____ J. a weapon made from obsidian, a volcanic glass

1

2

3


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Maya Number System

MAYA NUMERALS

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

Name: STUDENT REPRODUCIBLE(Page 1)

The Maya number system is very different from the system you use daily—the Maya used only threesymbols to represent all numbers! They used a dot to represent 1, a line to represent 5, and a shell to

represent 0. The Maya wrote their numbers vertically and used zero as a placeholder. Many believethat the Maya were the first people to use a symbol for zero.

The Maya used a place value system based on 20s, not 10s like the number system we use today.

So the place values were multiples of 20s: 1s, 20s (20x1), 400s (20x20), 8,000s (20x400), and so on.

HERE’S HOW IT WORKED: Numbers 1 through 4 were written using a row of dots.

The number 5 was written as a horizontal line. Numbers 6 through 19 were writtenusing a combination of lines and dots, or 5s and 1s.

For example:

• 6 was written as one line with one dot above it: (5+1)

• 10 was written using two lines: (5+5)

• 19 was written as three stacked lines with a row of four dots on top of them:(5+5+5+1+1+1+1)


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PART ONE: Find the solution to eachequation below. Write your answers usingMaya numerals.

Name:

+ =

x =

+ =

– =

PART TWO: To find the value of greater Maya numbers, multiply the value of the Mayanumeral by the value of its place. Then add the values together. Calculate the value of theMaya numbers presented below.

• 303 was written as three lines in the 20s place, and

three dots in the 1s place: ((5+5+5) x 20) + (1+1+1)

• 420 was written with one dot in the 400s place, one

dot in the 20s place, and one shell in the 1s place:

(1x400) + (1x20) + (0x1)

• 4,008 was written as two lines in the 400s place, one

shell in the 20s place, and three dots above a line in

the 1s place: (10x400) + (0x20) + (8x1)

For numbers greater than 19, the symbols were arranged vertically in place values, with the greatest value on top.

Each place value was 20 times greater than the one that came before it. Look at the examples below.

M a y a P l a c e V a l u e s 8,000

400

20

1

Value ofNumber 303 420 4,008

M a y a P l a c e V a l u e s 8,000

400

20

1

Value ofNumber

STUDENT REPRODUCIBLE(Page 2)

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