Why do you need to find out how old things are? Ella (10)

Hello Ella,

It’s very important for archaeologists to know how old things are so that we can determine the chronology of a site.

The aim of archaeology is to study material remains of past civilisations (and where usually written records are not available) in order to better understand the evolution of humans and societies.

If we can determine how old a site is, and how long ago it was occupied, and for how many years or centuries, then we can understand better where our ancestors came from. We also try to understand why they chose one place rather than another, why they built certain monuments in a particular landscape. All this information is very useful if you want to understand the past, and in many cases it also helps us understand the present and why our societies have become the way they are now.

Odile, January 2026

Answered by:

Odile Rouard

Hello, my name is Odile Rouard. I’ve always been interested in archaeology and the understanding of ancient cultures, since I started reading Greek mythology as a child.

I have been working as a professional archaeologist for many years and am looking forward to answering any questions you have about archaeology.

I graduated from York University and have worked on excavations in France, in Ireland and in England of course; I even helped train students in field archaeology on a Silk Road citadel in Kazakhstan!
I have just moved to Orkney to start a new adventure and am now taking part in Viking tours and helping children discover archaeology.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Odile

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