HOW DO ARCHAEOLOGISTS FIND OUT ABOUT THE PAST? How do archaeologists find sites below the ground?


1. Some are chance discoveries (by accident) when people are ploughing or building. ● The Ardagh Chalice was found when two boys were digging for potatoes and the Terracotta Army was found when people were digging for a well in China.


2. Others are found by using a geophysical survey with scientific instruments to find features under the ground. ● Geophysical surveys on the Hill of Tara, Co. Meath provided information for later digs.


3. Archaeologists also depend on stories from history – from legends or biblical stories. ● The ruins of the city of Troy were discovered in Turkey by a German archaeologist who believed the stories about the siege of Troy.


4. Maps, particularly old maps, also provide evidence of past buildings.


5. Aerial photography – from drones, helicopters or airplanes – shows up crop marks (patterns in the way crops grow), which indicate that a feature lies under the soil.


Planes and satellites also use lidar (reflecting laser light off of objects) to discover features hidden by tree cover and to create 3-D models of those features.


6. Rescue or salvage archaeology is important in cities or new road projects before development goes ahead.


7. Underwater archaeology uses sonar, submarines and diving gear to explore buildings or sunken wrecks in seas, lakes and inland waterways.


Which of the


explanations above (1 to 7) match the pictures (A to E) here?


A B


2


Terracotta soldiers discovered by chance in China when a well was dug


Aerial photographs show up crop marks in fields where crops grow taller over ditches and shorter over walls


Did You Know?


In Ireland, archaeologists need a licence to excavate since monuments and artefacts are protected by law. It is illegal to use metal detectors, except under licence.


C


D


E


15


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