Digging Deeper

Digging Deeper. . Archaeologists have many types of tools for unearthing the story of human cultures. Between 2002 and 2005, archaeologists conducted several digs at Letchworth-Love Mounds Archaeological State Park. They used a variety of methods to learn about the architecture and cultures that once thrived here., 1. First, archaeologists established a grid using square concrete markers placed every 100 meters. Archaeologists assigned a number to each square to record each artifact's location. , 2. Next, they conducted a topographic survey to see exactly where the mounds were located., 3. Then, auger tests drilled into the ground every 20 meters provided samples of soil and, carefully, artifacts., 4. Screening the soil from the auger bits separated the soil from solid objects., 5. Archaeologists conducted shovel tests in areas where screening results indicated heavier concentrations of artifacts., 6. Most of the artifacts recovered were stone tools and pottery. Almost all of the artifacts found dated to the Weeden Island period, leading archaeologists to link the architecture you see today with that culture., 7. Ground penetrating radar allowed archaeologists to “see” beneath the ground without moving soil. Electromagnetic waves pass through the ground, then bounce back to the surface to create a “map” of what is below the surface.