Howard Carter's slow, careful work at Tutankhamun's tomb shows what archaeology is really about. Archaeologists are detectives of the past.
Key idea
Archaeologists dig carefully, write down exactly where everything was found, and study it to learn how people lived.
Why it works
Where a thing is found is a clue, just like at a detective's crime scene. A pot found in a kitchen tells us about cooking; the same pot in a tomb tells us about burial customs. Once an object is lifted out, that clue is gone unless someone wrote it down. That is why archaeologists measure, photograph and draw before they move anything. Deeper layers of earth are usually older.
Worked example: A broken pot
You find a broken pot in a layer of ash under a house floor. What should you do first?
- Do not pull it out yet.
- Photograph it, measure where it is and write it down.
- Then lift it out carefully and label the bag.
Answer: Record exactly where it is before you move it.
Common mistake
Thinking archaeologists hunt for treasure. A plain potsherd or a seed can teach more than gold. They care most about where things were found and what they tell us about people's lives.
Today, many digs in Egypt are led by Egyptian archaeologists, and Egypt's laws say that ancient objects found there belong to Egypt. Scientists can even look inside mummies with scanners, without unwrapping them.