Archaeology
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Archaeology, also spelled archeology, is the science of digging through other people's abandoned crap in hopes of finding some food or useful object (no, that's probably homelessness, or Freegans) in order to figure out how, and if possible, when they lived.
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[edit] Methodology
In contrast with sensible construction workers, archaeologists use the smallest possible tools to move the largest possible amount of dirt. The crap that archaeology studies is usually buried under craploads of dirt. As a result, archaeology takes a crapload of time.
Archaeologists excavate sites of previous human habitation, and sometimes piss off the locals by digging up their forebears' graves and shipping the cool stuff that was buried with them to a museum in England. This latter habit has lessened of late, and slightly more honor and respect are now paid to the neato bones and stuff that they find. In some cases, they move the museum to the dig site to make things easier.[1]
Question: If Lucy was perhaps really an ancient ancestor of most humans alive today, shouldn't we all be really pissed at Richard Leakey et familias?
Anyway, we digress...
[edit] Careful
Archaeologists carefully scrape through layers of accumulated dirt and other debris, sifting through the material carefully to find their precious artifacts. They carefully measure exact locations and depths, and carefully note varying layers as they dig down, in order to produce voluminous carefully written reports on what they have found. Then they carefully compare notes to form careful hypotheses about all manner of aspects of the lives and times of the people they are carefully investigating. The use of fire through the ages for cooking food and whatnot has left layers of charcoal that can be used to date the remains with which they are associated.
Yes, archaeologists are careful.
[edit] Popularization
In the UK a popular TV programme Time Team has greatly increased the exposure of archaeotainment archaeology. The team of about five regular members and sundry assistants/labourers is interpreted by Tony Robinson (who played Baldrick in the Blackadder comedies). They have three days to trash examine a site (Why three? - who knows) and pretty pictures are used extensively throughout the performance show to wow the viewers help the audience visualise the site as it once was.
The Indiana Jones series of movies have also aided in the popularity of archaeology, although real archaeology sadly involves fewer fights, chases, supernatural forces or death-defying escapes. The 2008 TV series Bonekickers attempted to reach a happy medium between Indiana Jones style unrealistic action and realistic Time Team style "science". No, it didn't work.
[edit] See also
[edit] Footnotes
- ↑ Such as with Jorvik Viking Centre
