What Is Archaeology?

How do we find out about the lives of people who lived long ago? Archaeology helps us! Archaeologists study things people in the past left behind.

Archaeologists find objects from the past. These things are called artifacts. This pottery is an example of an artifact. Artifacts tell us about life in the past.

Photo Credit: Breck P. Kent/Shutterstock

How do we find out about the lives of people who lived long ago? Archaeology helps us! Archaeologists study things people in the past left behind.

It is not
easy to find artifacts. Artifacts can get buried under dirt. Archaeologists carefully
dig to find the artifacts. They research and plan first. They make maps to help
them know where to dig.

Photo Credit: Dave Moyer

How do we find out about the lives of people who lived long ago? Archaeology helps us! Archaeologists study things people in the past left behind.

Archaeologists
can find a lot of things when they dig! They bring those things to a lab. They
weigh, measure, and draw them. They figure out what the artifacts are. How did
people make them? How did they use them? You can see some artifacts in museums.

What Do You Think? What do you wonder about how people lived long ago? How could an archaeologist help you answer the question?

Photo Credit: Sherry Svekis/National Park Service