Do archaeologists just dig holes?

Excavating a site is just one technique used by archaeologists. There are a number of other ways to discover archaeology too…

Surveying:

A careful study of land surfaces and ploughed fields can help to locate sites by finding earthworks such as ditches and banks (lumps and bumps!).

Fieldwalking:

Fieldwalking is used by archaeologists to discover any artefacts that have been brought to the surface of a field by a plough. By plotting on a map where the finds came from within the field, archaeologists can work out what might have happened there in the past.

Aerial photography:

Some archaeological sites are only visible from the air as cropmarks and soil marks.

Cropmarks

are patterns in the crops caused by buried archaeological sites. Crops built over buried walls do not grow as well as those in the surrounding area because there is not as much soil for their roots. Crops growing over pits and ditches will be taller because they have more soil and more nutrients for their roots.

Soil marks

are differences in soil colour caused by archaeological features under the ground. Hard dry materials like former banks or walls show up drier and lighter in the soil than any areas of damper wetter material from former ditches.

The written record:

Archaeologists can use historical writings, maps and place-names to identify areas for further research.

Building survey:

Studying and measuring upstanding buildings helps archaeologists look at how buildings and their uses have changed over time.

Geophysical survey:

Archaeologists can map the features underground by measuring electrical resistivity or the magnetic field. The data can be plotted to provide a plan of underground features.

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