This activity sheet has photographs showing some of the techniques used on archaeological excavations. There are a number of other archaeological occupations and activities that are not shown here.

Archaeologists at Work

Here is a brief explanation of each photograph from top left, clockwise.

Modern archaeological excavations involve a number of people who will uncover the structures and finds below the ground, record them carefully and eventually reach conclusions about the evidence and publish, and publicize, the results.

Most of the work on a dig will be carried out using small tools, such as the trowel. these archaeologists are carefully uncovering a Roman mosaic.

As archaeologists gradually take over the layers of each site, they will reveal and then excavate features such as the holes dug for rubbish or for taking the posts of wooden building. This photograph shows part of an Anglo-Saxon village. The smaller dark patches are where the frames of wooden buildings once stood and groups of archaeologist are marking out a number of these buildings.

As the details are uncovered and become clear they are recorded in a variety of ways. here an archaeologist is making a scaled and accurate drawing of a skeleton. Other recording methods include photography, making paper records, and recording things on computers.

Most archaeological excavation will reveal finds – objects or bits of objects, bones, building materials, seeds, for example – which will need cleaning, drawing and investigating. Notice that the pieces of broken pottery have all their own plastic bag with numbers and letters on them to identify where they came from on site.

Many finds are cleaned and investigated in a laboratory using scientific instruments, such as the microscope here. Scientific techniques, such as radio carbon dating, help the archaeologists reach better conclusions about the evidence they have dug up.

Used with kind permission of Mike Corbishley, UCL.