Archaeology

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Archaeology is the study of the past by finding the remains left by people who lived in the past. Archaeologists try to work out what the remains mean. These are called "artifacts", and can include old coins, tools, houses, or even people's garbage.

To find the old remains, archaeologists often dig holes to find things that are buried. This is called fieldwork. Old things become buried over time, because of things that happened later. People's garbage can pile up on top, or soil can be pushed down a hill to cover older things.

Sometimes archaeologists find the bones of dead people and the things they used, or the houses they lived in. Archaeologists think it is important to understand the past, because so many people use the past to know where they come from.

There are many kinds of archaeologists who work in different places. Some archaeologists study Ancient Egypt, (called Egyptologists) while others study old Greece or the Vikings. Archaeologists study every civilization that is known, especially the ones where there is no history to read. They can study any time period. For example, one might study the beginning of human life in Africa, or one might study World War II.

Stonehenge is a famous place in archaeology. Some other famous places are Angkor Wat, Machu Picchu, and Great Zimbabwe. Places that archaeologists study are called "sites". In many countries, governments and other groups of people protect important sites so that visitors can come and learn about them.

One kind of archaeologist studies human objects that are now hidden underwater. They search for sunken ships or cities that have been lost under the sea.

Sometimes new sites are found when new buildings are constructed. Archaeologists want to dig up and study these sites so that they are not lost or covered up.