ASK THE ARCHAEOLOGIST:

The answers to the most frequently asked questions about archaeology

Dave Weldrake
Education ad Outreach Coordinator

Question 7: Have you ever found any buried treasure?

Many people have the idea that archaeologists are treasure hunters. At one time it might have been true. It was certainly the drive behind Howard Carter's expedition to Egypt in the 1920s which eventually led to the discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb. It's also the image promoted by such fictional archaeologists as Indiana Jones and Lara Croft.

Today's archaeology is really all about rubbish. By looking at the things people used and threw away we get an idea of what people were doing in the past, just like the litter we see on the streets nowadays tells us about the way we live today.

In that sense modern archaeology has moved on from what the Victorians and Edwardians considered suitable topics for investigation. A lot of their work was concerned with the lives of the rich in the past. They wanted to see elaborate mosaics and beautiful pieces that would look well in a collector's cabinet. Today we tend to think more about ordinary people in the past.

Archaeology is really the only way that we can begin to understand what life was like for ordinary people in the past. No one wrote their histories, like they did for Henry VIII or Elizabeth I. They didn't leave diaries like Samuel Pepys: they couldn't read and write. For much of the past, archaeology presents the only way to get a glimpse of the lives of ordinary people.

Activity

What can we find out from rubbish?
For this activity you will need a bag of 'household rubbish' - actually a carefully chosen collection of safe materials such as packaging. Talk to the class about how archaeologists work. It's the same as the police looking for clues. If a future archaeologist found these things what would s/he be able to tell about people today?

Children will think in terms of families/people they know. They will concentrate on a story. They will recognize children's cereal packets and dog food packages. After they've have looked at this aspect of matters, you might want to broaden the picture a little by asking questions related to technology (How was this made? What is it made of?) economics (Is this a luxury item? Were the people who used it likely to be rich? Or were they poor?) and geography (Which country do we get spaghetti from? or Where do they grow the spices to make this curry?)

Hint This is a really useful activity for someone teaching a class for the first time. You can select items which project the persona which you would like to present to the children.