DECODING the PAST: the Work of Archaeologists

to TEACHINGRT WITH THE POWER OOOF OBJECTS Smithsonian Institution November/December 1995 DECODING THE PAST: The Work of Archaeologists Inside Subjects Grades Publication of Art to Zoo is made possible Lesson Plan Social Studies 4–9 through the generous support of the Pacific Take-Home Page Science Mutual Foundation. in English/Spanish Language Arts CONTENTS Introduction page 3 Lesson Plan Step 1 page 6 Worksheet 1 page 7 Lesson Plan Step 2 page 8 Worksheet 2 page 9 Lesson Plan Step 3 page 10 Take-Home Page page 11 Take-Home Page in Spanish page 13 Resources page 15 Art to Zoo’s purpose is to help teachers bring into their classrooms the educational power of museums and other community resources. Art to Zoo draws on the Smithsonian’s hundreds of exhibitions and programs—from art, history, and science to aviation and folklife—to create classroom- ready materials for grades four through nine. Each of the four annual issues explores a single topic through an interdisciplinary, multicultural Above photo: The layering of the soil can tell archaeologists much about the past. (Big Bend Reservoir, South Dakota) approach. The Smithsonian invites teachers to duplicate Cover photo: Smithsonian Institution archaeologists take a Art to Zoo materials for educational use. break during the River Basin Survey project, circa 1950. DECODING THE PAST: The Work of Archaeologists Whether you’re ten or one hundred years old, you have a sense of the past—the human perception of the passage of time, as recent as an hour ago or as far back as a decade ago. We are all explorers of this past, seeking the meaning of today from what happened yesterday. The past stretches far beyond our own experiences; it takes its shape from those who have come before us. The collective memories of our parents and grandparents provide us with an image of more than two generations of human triumphs and tragedies. In fact, the lens of history allows us to view more than thirty centuries of human experience chronicled by a multitude of men and women. As valuable as they are, standing of peoples both past other evidence of past human ologist can survey the area however, written accounts and present. You can use the activity. through careful observation cannot present a complete lesson plans as part of either Finding written records of of surface features and record of human history. a world cultures curriculum history is different from dis- exposed artifacts. If the Documents speak only of lit- or any social studies unit that covering archaeological puz- researcher discovers enough erate societies and are often explores methods of under- zle pieces. A historian might evidence, he or she can incomplete. These records standing the past. know where to look for a employ an arsenal of high- are blind to the thousands of potentially important docu- tech tools to explore a site years of human experience ment—perhaps in an archive further. before the invention of writ- THE PUZZLE OF THE PAST or a collection of personal One frequently used tool ing. To recover this vibrant papers. In comparison, an is aerial photography. Views human past without written The human past is like a archaeologist usually has from the sky offer unique history or memory, we must vast, uncompleted jigsaw fewer leads but just as many perspectives on an archaeo- turn to archaeology—the puzzle with many scattered ways of learning about logical site, often revealing study of material remains pieces. To a historian, the the past. features that might be less to learn about past human pieces of this puzzle are let- apparent from the ground. experiences. ters, journals, books, and By carefully examining pat- Archaeology and its maps—in short, the whole SITE SEEING terns of shadows, soil colors, potential to increase our host of written documents and crop growth, an archae- understanding of the distant that have survived over time. The first challenge faced ologist may detect the and the recent human past Documents might be as rare by archaeologists is locating remains of sunken features have long been cornerstones as an original copy of the a site that will yield clues such as walls, ditches, and of the research done at the Declaration of Independence about the people who once earthworks. Smithsonian Institution and or as common as the daily lived there. To that end, sev- At ground level, a variety are the subject of this issue newspaper. eral nondestructive methods of remote sensing techniques of Art to Zoo. The pho- An archaeologist searches can help determine whether a can be used to investigate a tographs of Smithsonian for different pieces of this certain area may contain arti- site without disturbing it. archaeologists and activities same puzzle. However, rather facts. If a site was once the Depending on a soil’s com- that follow encourage your than seek what has been home of a literate society, an position, an archaeologist students to think about how written, he or she looks for archaeologist can often con- might use ground-penetrating human-made objects and what has been left behind— sult written records for possi- radar, soil-resistivity testing other indicators of human in the form of artifacts ble clues. When documents (measuring a soil’s electrical life can enrich our under- (human-made objects) and are not available, the archae- resistance), or magnetic Simplified Ground level stratigraphy Layer A Present displaying the chronological Going back into the past progression of Layer B soil layers 1950s Layer C 1920s Layer D 1890s Figure 1 An open-area excavation at Big Bend Reservoir, South Dakota surveys to determine the survey the site meticulously As an excavation pro- archaeologists to examine a nature of the materials that and map it on a grid within gresses, it uncovers the past site’s general stratigraphy lie below the surface. a coordinate system. in both horizontal and verti- and are later removed to Ultimately, however, careful- Researchers then reference cal dimensions. The horizon- reveal whatever might lie ly directed digging in a site the locations of all unearthed tal dimension reveals a site within them. can reveal much more than artifacts or features to their as it was at a fixed point in Researchers use more all the nondestructive coordinates within the wider time. The vertical dimension intrusive excavation methods methods combined. site. Archaeologists note shows the sequence of when a site will be obstruct- unexcavated areas just as changes within a site over ed or destroyed by some carefully, because they may time. Excavation methods form of modern develop- DIGGING IN THE DIRT be of interest to other archae- vary according to which ment, such as a shopping ologists in the future. dimension of the past an center. These “salvage” pro- To an archaeologist, the Many of the tools used in archaeologist chooses to jects force archaeologists to soil resembles a historical excavation are surprisingly study. A researcher seeking a race against time to find evi- document; the researcher familiar. Archaeologists detailed “snapshot” of a par- dence. To this end, they con- must decipher, translate, and employ common household ticular point in time would duct “reconnaissance” sur- interpret the soil before it can utensils such as ladles, likely initiate a large, open- veys (small-scale excava- help him or her understand spoons, dustpans, and brushes area excavation. This tech- tions) at random locations, the human past. But unlike a to move small amounts of nique requires archaeologists along a predetermined site document, the soil of an earth. They use flat-edged to uncover a site layer by grid, or wherever they sus- archaeological site can be shovels to remove larger vol- layer until reaching the level pect they may find archaeo- interpreted only once in the umes of soil and root cutters of the desired time period. logical evidence. state in which it is found. and small hand saws to extract Alternately, an archaeologist Researchers gather two The very process of excava- grounded tree roots. However, seeking to understand the very different sets of infor- tion destroys a site forever, no single tool is more synony- progression of time at a site mation during the course of making such an investigation mous with archaeology than would probably employ a any excavation. They can a costly experiment that the small mason’s trowel. The grid excavation. Under this examine tangible findings, cannot be repeated. sturdy, welded body and method, workers dig evenly such as artifacts and the Accordingly, archaeolo- tough, steel blade of this tool spaced square holes, leaving remains of plants, animals, gists conduct excavations make it ideally suited for baulks (wall-like unexcavat- and humans, well after an with great care. Before an gingerly removing successive ed areas) between the excavation has ended. excavation begins, they layers of soil. squares. Baulks allow However, excavation 4 Art to Zoo Decoding the Past: The Work of Archaeologists November/December 1995 An example of ter- Ground level An example of Ground level minus post quem. Layer A terminus ante Layer A The 1885 coin in quem. Layer C Layer E establish- is an undisrupt- es that Layer E Layer B ed tile floor of Layer B dates from on or the 1860s. It fol- Bottle cap after 1885. It fol- lows that Layers Layer C 1860s tile floor lows that the pot- D, E, and F date Layer C Layer D tery fragment in before the Scattered Layer D and the 1860s. glass fragments bottle cap in Layer D Layer E Layer B likely Pottery Charcoal date from or after fragment 1885 as well. Layer F Layer E Scattered masonry 1885 coin Figure 2 Figure 3 destroys contextual features, in, first out”— meaning that (carbon 14) that decays at a and other inorganic materials such as building remains, as an archaeologist usually known and steady rate, is through typology—compar- they are uncovered.

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