Many people have an interest in archaeology and discovering something from the past. However, they have never seen a real dig, or know exactly what archaeologists do. It's a lot different than in the movies. I've put together some pictures from digs I've participated in over the last few years. These are real archaeologists working to recover the past, from sites in danger of destruction through construction.
My crew and I on survey in Pike County, Illinois.
A trackhoe operator, specializing in archaeological excavation, strips a 5 X 30 meter trench looking for prehistoric features, like fire pits and storage pits, which appear as stains on the stripped surface.
The featues are flagged and covered with black plastic sheeting to keep them from drying out. They are then mapped, and excavated with careful record keeping.
Artifact identification and analysis
