Question

Discuss the basic techniques used to locate archaeological sites and fossil localities.

Answer 1

DERSCRIPTION

Archaeology provides a unique view on Indian history, heritage and culture. It has contributed greatly to our understanding of ancient past and history. It has not only helped us to understand when people lived on earth but also why and how they have lived and survived examining the cause of changes that have occurred in human culture over several years.

Archaeology has came up this far with the help of their findings and evidence of archaeological sites which provides evidence of early living humans and their culture to find this archaeological sites within the landscape these methods are non destructive and falls under a wide category which we will discuss below:

1. DESK TOP SURVEYS: It is an office based and uses left over documents such as maps, historical documents previous archaeology data base or records, pictures all of which provides clue and references to archaeological sites. Maps play an important role as it provides insight of the forgotten sites. Pictorial records such as photograph paintings and incision and descriptive accounts written in books, diaries can all be worthy. Desktop survey are value where investigation are part of the planning process to ascertain whether there are any archaeological remains which could be lost due to construction of building or development of land.

2. SURFACE SURVEYS: There are visual surveys which seek to find marks of possible sites that can be carried out, most usually on foot. There are two types of surface survey namely systematic and unsystematic, although the use systematic approach is most common to determine a point of post human activity. A grid is generally laid out on the ground for mapping and team of walkers go over each area on the grid, noted sites and find. Fieldwalking is an effective and cheap way of surveying land and has a crucial place in the discovery of archaeological sites. Once the field site is identified, checked and analysed the data can provide with date and possible function of site. Results are more reliable as the site or the region is walked several times repeatedly as a long term project.

3. GEOCHEMICAL AND GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS: The activity of humans change the geochemical composition of soil and the archaeologist can use testing to find the areas of changes to the soil by human activity, the most common of these is phosphate analysis. This chemical is present in most living beings including plants, animals, human beings they increase the concentration of phosphate in that landscape. There are two major methods of geophysical surveying, these are electrical resistively and magnetometery. Resistivity includes passing an electric current probes sets into the ground base on the under surface material to conduct the current. Normally buried walls have a limited moisture content and pits which retains moisture will give lower readings. Magnetised iron oxides are there in soil and early human activity change and reshuffle this creating stronger and weaker response which can be traced and magnetic anomalies. A number of newer techniques including Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are also there and becoming popular tools for the archaeologist research and study.

4. AERIAL SURVEYS: Aerial surveys are taken from air they are taken at an oblique angle which provides better views of sites. It is most important to consider a landmark in order to provide a permanent point on mapping a site.