Techniques: Archaeological Analysis

Archaeological materials recovered by excavations are cleaned and labeled in a laboratory. The various types of materials are separated out and given to the appropriate analysts. Archaeologists frequently analyze the pottery, stone, and grinding artifacts themselves. Other materials must often be sent to specialists, such as the pollen, plant remains, and animal and human bone. Other samples, particularly those that can be used to obtain calendric dates, must be sent to specialized laboratories. These kinds of samples include charcoal and other plant and bone materials for radiocarbon dating, and pieces of pottery that can be studied by neutron activation and X-ray fluorescence to learn about where they were made.

Various classes of artifacts and materials can provide a wide range of information about the diet, health, technological knowledge, and social relationships of the previous residents of a particular site. Pollen, plant remains, and animal bone can reveal what people were eating and how meals were being prepared. Pottery provides information about where and when it was made, based on its composition and designs; and on trade and exchange. Stone tools can provide similar information, through their forms and styles, and the materials they are made of. Charcoal can be used for radiocarbon dating and tree-ring dating, and can identify the wood resources available or sought after. Burned clay (as in floors, fire pits, and roasting pits) can be used for archaeomagnetic dating.

The remains of the houses and other features, and their relationships to one another, tell archaeologists about the size and growth of the community, and provide clues as to how the society may have been organized.

All of this evidence is gathered and analyzed in order to answer questions of who, where, when, and how.

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