YAC Attack!
YAC Attack! is a feature that you’ll find in every issue of Young Archaeologist magazine. The magazine features a new hands-on activity that you can try at home or with your local YAC Branch as well as a fascinating article about the theme of the activity.
We’ve focused on some interesting subjects so far, click on an archaeological activity from the links below and get creative!
YAC Attack 149! Agricultural Revolutions
Britain’s agricultural revolution occurred during the Neolithic when the population started to change from hunter-gathers to farmers.
- What was an Iron Age Grainstore?
- What was it used for?
YAC Attack 148! Stratigraphy Cake
When most people think about archaeology, they think about excavations.
- But is excavation as simple as digging a big hole in the ground and looking for old stuff?
YAC Attack 147! Kill or Cure?
The causes of disease were not understood in medieval times and people tried lots of weird and wonderful ways to cure illnesses.
- One theory was that bad smells could make people ill…..
YAC Attack 146! Lost Wax Casting
Lost Wax Casting is a process that has been used for many thousands of years to create objects made of metal.
- What is it?
- How does the process work?
YAC Attack 145! Mock Rock Art
Rock art includes any human-made marking on natural stone whether carved or painted. There are two different types:
- Petroglyphs which are carved into stone surfaces
- Pictographs which are rock and cave paintings.
YAC Attack 144! Knot Garden
Knot gardens were popular in the late 16th century. They were new to England, and were built with designs from Europe. They showed the owner to be a rich and influential man who loved to travel. Fiona Sanders, Garden Supervisor from Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire describes the redevelopment of the knot gardens at the castle.
YAC Attack 143! Packaging Finds
- How do archaeological artefacts survive once they have been excavated
- How are they are looked after?
YAC Attack 140! Archaeology Makes its Mark
The first thing that we may think when we hear the word, ‘archaeology’ is of digging to seeing what is underneath the surface.
However, the remains of past human activity can be seen in a number of ways without even taking out a trowel.
YAC Attack 139! Stained Glass Windows
Stained glass windows can be found in churches, cathedrals and halls, the earliest examples in the UK come from the 7th century AD although the craft may have been introduced earlier by the Romans.
- How are stained glass windows made
- Why is it important to conserve stained glass?
YAC Attack 138! Mummification
Mummies are the preserved bodies of dead people and animals.
Sometimes mummification occurs naturally when bodies are preserved in ice or bogs but as early as 5000 BC people began to copy the process deliberately.
YAC Attack 137! Petrospheres
Petrospheres are carved stone balls that have nearly all been discovered in north-east Scotland, mainly in Aberdeenshire. However, several have been found in Orkney and some have been found on the Scottish islands of Skye, Iona, Lewis, Harris and Uist.
Some have also been uncovered in Ireland and England. Over 400 of the balls have been found, often uncovered on farmland.
YAC Attack 136! Marvellous Medieval Mouthwash
Hopefully you visit your dentist regularly and brush your teeth twice a day, but what about our ancestors?
- Find out about brushes with pig bristles and excruciating extractions.
YAC Attack 135! Making Roman Ink
Today we write on computers, and send our words around the world at the touch of a button. Words help us to record and store information, and to share ideas.
- But how did writing begin?
- How has writing changed?
YAC Attack 134! Bake an Eggless Christmas Cake
- Discover when and why rationing food was introduced
- Find out how people responded by coming up with new ways of using what they had.
YAC Attack 133! Viking Leatherworking
The use of animal skins for clothing is nearly as old as man himself. Leather items have been found dating back to 1300 BC.
It was also used for many domestic objects, such as water bottles, cups and bowls.
Leather also had its uses in warfare and, of course, footwear.
YAC Attack 132! Viking Braid
Today most of us buy our clothes. Can you imagine having to grow and prepare your own fibre, spin your own yarn, weave your own cloth, and make your own clothes?
Textiles have been made in one form or another for at least 20,000 years. This makes weaving and winding fibre one of the oldest technologies still in use today.
YAC Attack 131! Facial Reconstruction
Reconstructing the faces of our ancestors can offer us a fascinating glimpse into the past.
- How is facial reconstruction done?
- Why it is useful in archaeology?
- How we know whether it is accurate?
Learn about facial reconstruction and then it is your turn to try it out.
YAC Attack 130! Fake Coprolites (Fossilised poo)
For most people, the idea of finding old human poo is a bit disgusting. And the idea of dissecting it and looking at it carefully through a microscope is even worse. But this is exactly what some archaeologists do. Poos are more usually called coprolites in polite company.
- Learn how archaeologists study coprolites and what they usually find.
External Internet Safety Links
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CEOP’s Thinkuknow website provides films and games to play on how to stay safer online and Childnet has produced a range of online safety resources including Chatdanger.com and Know IT All.
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