Science of Archaeology

Science of Archaeology. . , The science of archaeology consists of applying scientific techniques to the analysis of archaeological materials, to assist in dating and documenting the materials that were used by humans. This science looks into man's past to determine how our ancestors lived and why they did what they did. Much of archaeology is done through excavations (controlled digging)., Often objects have ended up in the ground because they were thrown away, accidentally dropped or purposely buried. The artifacts or structures that archaeologists study have been abandoned for hundreds or thousands of years. During this long expanse of time, objects get covered over by dust, dirt, plant and animal material, and become buried., Once a site is chosen for a dig, the excavation must be carefully planned, documented and executed in order to get valid scientific results. The site is divided into a grid of squares. When objects are found, small brushes are used to clean off the remaining dirt without damaging the artifact. Each item is cataloged to the location of where it was found using the grid number where the object was located. This information will allow scientists to later piece together what the object may have been used for and why it was buried in that position., Such techniques have been used on many Native American sites along the Saluda River.