Archaeology

.

&

T ry

• What is archaeology • Who were the great archaeologists • About the most important archaeological discoveries • How to become an archeologist • What are the archaeologist’s tools • What is nice and what is hard in archaeology

.

Learn:

. . L earn & T ry

...

.. L e a r n

Ve s n a B i k i ć

• To certify the age of an object at home • To carry out excavation in the garden • To put together the pieces of a broken plate • To describe objects that you discovered • To make a drawing of an excavated object • To make exploration diary

ArChAeOlOgY

Try:

Ve s n a B i k i ć

ArChAeOlOgY

..

.

MOTHER! Get me out of here!!!

Series Learn & Try

ArChAeOlOgY idea: Ljiljana Marinkovi} author: dr Vesna Biki} illustration and design: Du{an Pavli} editor: Slavica Markovi} lecteur: Violeta Babi} editor in chief: Ljiljana Marinkovi}, general manager n

n

publisher: KREATIVNI CENTAR, Gradi{tanska 8, Belgrade tel: +381 11/ 38 20 483, 38 20 464, 244 06 59 www.kreativnicentar.co.yu • info@kreativnicentar.co.yu print: Publikum Copyright©KREATIVNI CENTAR 2007

Ve s n a B i k i ć

ArChAeOlOgY Illustrated by

Dušan Pavlić

CONTENTS 5 6 6 7

...What is archeology? ...What is the goal of archeology? ...Where do archeologists explore? ...Who helps archeologists?

25 ..The nice side of the work 25 ..The hard side of the work

8 ...Great archeologists

26 ..How to become a trained archeologist

12 ...If you became an archeologist, you could discover‌

26 ..Where you can work as an archeologist

14 ...If you want to become an archeologist

27...Protection of archeological sites 28...Archeology in the arts

15 ...The exploration journal 29...Archeological survey 16 ...Archeological exercises 16 ...1. Classify archeological artifacts by age 18 ...2. Explore a tumulus 20 ..3. Describe artifacts 21 ...4. Determine the age of objects in your home 22...5. Draw an object 24...6. Cement a broken plate

Lopate ... pardon, {pahtlice u ruke!

30 ..Glossary 32 ..Index

I always knew something like this had to exist!

STILL UNEXPLORED TEMPLE

What

I

is archeology?

f you are fascinated by the past, if you are keen on everything that is interesting, unusual and mysterious, then a book about archeology is the real thing for you.

Ever since the dawn of civilisation, people have collected various old objects – both things they can actually use and those they find attractive.

While travelling to distant lands voyagers and explorers saw caves, ruined houses, palaces and temples from times long gone which fascinated them and made them think.

It is from these efforts to find out more about ancient artistic object and buildings that was created the study of human antiquities – archeology.

The first to set out on voyages of discovery were people with curiosity, a spirit of adventure and a desire to acquire knowledge, those who wanted to see distant lands, meet other peoples and experience different cultures.

They were mostly prosperous and well-educated persons who studied things they found, described them to others and gave them to museums.

What an idiot!

Who needs this old junk?!

5

Trust me, it moved!

What is the goal of archeology?

Creating a picture of the past is very much like solving a huge jig-saw puzzle. One of the most complete of such pictures can be seen in Pompeii, in Italy, a once prosperous harbour and trading city hit by an earthquake and then completely destroyed in an eruption of the nearby Mount Vesuvius volcano in A.D. 76.

Pompeii was buried in volcanic ash, which almost perfectly preserved everything in the town.

6

Archeology is a science involved in studying the past – old objects, which we usually call artifacts, and ancient cultures. Its goal is to establish in which period of history certain artifacts (utensils, jewellery, tools, weapons and other things) or buildings were made. This is followed by the creation of an image about how life might have looked at a certain time or in a given place – how people lived, what their dwellings were like, what they cooked their food in and ate from, how they worked and what they made, what decorations they wore, what they believed in and how they spent their free time. This is not at all easy to do, as often there are little data to use in reaching conclusions, but it is also very important, because knowing about the past can help us to draw numerous conclusions useful for our contemporary life.

Where do archeologists explore?

The main locations where archeologists work are excavations at so-called archeological sites, both in populated areas and in uninhabited ones.

Some archeological exploration also takes place under water, in seas, rivers and swamps, where remnants of sunken ships and ruined houses and bridges can be found.

How do archeologists know where to start digging?

Sometimes traces of ancient buildings can be found purely by accident, during a walk through nature. Often workers digging foundations for a building or farmers ploughing fields run across old objects or traces of ancient buildings, which are then investigated. But not everything happens by accident. Finding artifacts usually takes a lot of hard work.

Potential archeological sites are often found by researching old books and documents, listening to old peoples’ tales and lore and looking at the work of other architects.

Archeological discoveries require a keen eye and sometimes also a special sense of exploration. But sometimes traces on the surface do not lead to any discoveries under the ground and instead to disappointment and failure. All discoveries require a great deal of patience.

Who helps archeologists?

Creating a complete picture about a particular location and those who once inhabited it also requires a lot of help from other scientists. Geologists, physicists and chemists help in determining the materials of which certain artifacts are made and their age, while various instruments can help find other artifacts which are concealed under the ground. Biologists determine by looking at various clues what people once ate and the types of plants they cultivated and animals they reared.

Architects can reconstruct entire buildings on the basis of their remains; they also investigate ancient construction techniques, which often differ from what we employ today.

Detecting potential archeological sites can best be done by aerial photography.

One of the first aerial photographs, taken in 1906, was that of Stonehenge, a very famous archeological site in southern England.

Nowadays photographs taken from satellites are another excellent source of data.

Looking for underground archeological features has lately been made much easier by ground radars, metal detectors and other instruments which can “see� masonry and other dense materials through layers of soil and even asphalt and concrete.

7