Archeology: More than just digging
Do you picture someone digging when you think of an archeologist? You are not alone. That's the idea most people have. While digging is one important way archeologists learn more about ancient cultures, it is not the only way.
Archeologists do much more than dig for ancient treasures. They specialize. That means they work in a particular area of archeology. It's a lot like doctors. Some doctors work on eyes. Others work with infants and young children. Some decide to specialize in skin. Of course, there are many more specialties.
The list below will give you an idea about some of the ways archeologists study ancient cultures.
Interested in Plants
Archeobotanists analyze plant remains at an archeological site. Their findings are used to draw conclusions about the way people lived.
Interested in Artifacts
Archeometrists study everything made by an ancient culture.
Interested in Skeletons
Bioarcheologists study skeletal remains. They work to identify the unique characteristics of groups of people.
Interest in "How did they do that?"
Experimental archeologists research how structures and artifacts were made. Special attention is given to the technology available at the time something was made.
Interested in Geology
Geoarcheologists study layers of sediment at an archeological site. By examining the minerals, fossils, and cultural remains in each layer, they learn what the world was like for an ancient culture.
Interested in Diseases
Paleopathologists are people who study ancient diseases. They want to know what kind of diseases people had. They also study the remains of individuals at an archeological site to determine how they died.
Interested in Where Something Came From
Petroarcheologists study the stone tools and ceramic objects made by ancient cultures. Their close examinations often reveal the origin of an object. When objects are found far away from the source of material used to make them, this tells archeologists that ancient cultures may have traded or may have moved.
Copyright 2008