Archaeology

Sure! Let's say we have a sample of a once-living material, like a piece of wood, and we want to determine its age using carbon dating. By measuring the ratio of carbon-14 to carbon-12 in the sample and comparing it to the known half-life of carbon-14 (about 5,730 years), we can calculate the approximate age of the sample. This method is effective for dating materials up to about 50,000 years old.

Archaeologists learn about the past through excavations of sites, analysis of artifacts, and studying historical documents or written records. By combining physical evidence with context clues, they can piece together a picture of past societies, cultures, and events. Advanced technologies, such as carbon dating and remote sensing, also help in revealing more details about ancient civilizations.

Archaeologists can dig up artifacts pretty much anywhere, although in practice where they chose to dig will be affected by several factors. Archaeologists will conduct excavations only in places where they find evidence of past human activity and the excavation of the site will provide useful information. Excavations are planned and not conducted at random.

Archaeologists take soil samples in order to recover small material which may not be visible with the naked eye. This may include tiny plant and animal remains which can provide clues to the ancient environment and land use or tiny tools or other artifacts.

A sampling strategy is often part of an excavation plan and before excavation begins it may be decided that a certain percentage of the site will be taken in soil samples. During the excavation an archaeologist may also decide to sample interesting areas, that might show more charcoal, organic material or may be part of hearth or cremation deposits.

The exact date when human beings first arrived in North America is not known because evidence is still being uncovered and studied. There are various theories and archaeological findings pointing to different time periods, but more research is needed to reach a consensus on the exact timing of human arrival in North America.

Prehistoric simply means before written records, so the date for the start of the historic period would depend on where in the world you are and when the first written records began.

Sometimes places have a protohistoric period. This refers to a time when we have written records for a people but they are written by outsiders (for example Britons had no written records of their own when the Romans arrived, but we know about them from things the Romans wrote about them).

A fossil is of non-human origin (e.g. animal bone) that has not been altered by humans in any way. An artifact is a product of human activity including bone and shell tools and ornaments, ceramic vessels, metal objects, etc.

Archaeology affects a wide range of people, including historians, scientists, indigenous communities, governments, developers, and the general public. It helps to piece together the story of past civilizations and shed light on human history, culture, and heritage. Efforts to protect archaeological sites also involve stakeholders such as policymakers, landowners, and conservation organizations.

I've written about a couple recent finds in the archaeology world, an ancient island has been found in Central Mexico that may shed light on life in the area over a period of 2000 years and in June 2009 the oldest example of architecture in Britain was unearthed near Stonehenge in the shape of 6000 year old burial chambers.

Archaeologists study early humans by digging up and studying the traces of early settlements

The architecture contributions of Greeks are:

The construction of state and public buildings, stadiums, Temples, theaters, statues, ships, etc...

The style of Minoan, Mycenae, Dorian, Ionian and the Corinthian columnes and buildings.

Five of the seven Wonders of the ancient world were Greek monuments

- The Temple of Artemis at Ephessus,

- The Statue of Zeus at Olympia,

- The Mausoleum of Maussollus at Alikarnasus,

- The Colossus of Rhodes and

- The Lighthouse of Alexandria.

The Acropolis of Athens and the Parthenon

The field of archeology is a scientific field that studies primarily prehistoric cultures to give us information about how people lived and interacted in the distant past. This field belongs to the larger science of anthropology. Archaeologists spend quite a bit of time excavating and analyzing materials found underground at dig sites.

There are differences between the bones of domesticated animal species and their wild ancestors, so depending on how much is preserved it is possible to work out if an animal was domesticated. As a general rule domesticated animals have been changed by humans through selective breeding to have characteristics which suit human needs. Domesticated animals used for food are often much larger in terms of the meat they have on them, but may be bred to be more managable - Cattle may be bred without horns, or pigs may have shorter legs. Animals kept for companionship often have physiological changes to make their skulls "cuter" or more human like.

The first flint tools were likely invented by early Homo species around 2.5 million years ago during the Lower Paleolithic period. These tools were crafted by striking flakes of flint to create sharp edges for cutting and hunting.

Making clay pots began about 10,000 years ago probably in the Middle East. Early pots were made to be thrown away after one use, molded by an imprint of the fist. The first potters wheel is from 8000 to 1400 B.C. and allowed the potter to create even shapes.

The oldest tools have been found in various locations around the world, with some of the oldest known tools being sharp-edged stones dating back to around 3.3 million years ago, found in eastern Africa, notably in Kenya and Ethiopia. These tools were likely used by early hominins for various tasks such as cutting and butchering.

Dr. Mark Lehner's first excavations at Giza were in the Sphinx enclosure. Preparations for that excavation made him realize that there were no scale maps of the famous Sphinx. Dr. Lehner spent five years mapping the Sphinx, which led him to wonder what could be learned by mapping the entire Giza Plateau to understand relationships between the monuments and the landscape.

The Giza Plateau Mapping Project led Dr. Lehner to write a journal article speculation about where the vast settlement that housed the construction crews of the pyramids was located. In the late 1980s, his team began digging in that area, south of the Wall of the Crow, and there they found the 4th Dynasty settlement of the pyramid builders. His team continues that work today.

Australopithecus is the name for an extinct genus of small-brained, large-toothed bipedal hominin species which lived in Africa between one and four million years ago. They widely accepted as being the genus from which our own genus (Homo) developed.

A flint arrowhead is typically small, triangular, and sharp-edged, often with a pointed tip. It is commonly made from chipped flint or other types of stone to be used as a projectile point for hunting or warfare.

In Brooklyn, NY, on January 29, 1930.

1. Geometric shapes: These are precise and commonly studied shapes like circles, squares, triangles, and rectangles.
2. Organic shapes: These are free-form shapes found in nature such as leaves, clouds, and rocks.
3. Abstract shapes: These are non-representational shapes that can be created from various colors, lines, and patterns without having a specific recognizable form.

oral history and artifacts help us about the past because we can read the date it was made. but only if you have a arm ha ha

Future archaeologists will likely find a wide range of artifacts and ecofacts left by our society today, including buildings, infrastructure, technology, plastic waste, metal objects, organic remains, and documents. These materials will provide insights into our daily lives, social structures, economic activities, and environmental impact.

Archaeologists typically follow a systematic process that includes surveying, excavation, analysis of findings, interpretation, and publication of results. They start by conducting a survey of the area to identify potential sites, then excavate to carefully uncover and document artifacts and structures. Finally, they analyze and interpret the findings to gain insights into past human societies and cultures.