Excavation (Archaeologists Toolkit)

Notify me of new comments via email. Every good archaeologist has a set of essential tools used daily on site.

An Archaeology Tool Roll: Equipment to take on site – Facets

While some are more important then others each plays an important role in excavation. The shovel and the pick go together like peanut butter and jelly. When removing a layer or soil, or making a pass, the pick will be used along with the shovel. Similar to a small pick a large pick is used to loosen soil. Large picks play an important role in the removal of soil, particularly when opening a new trench and getting through the layer of top soil. The pick like make somewhere between a cm pass and a shovel will follow behind removing the soil being careful not to carve into the newly reveled layer below.

This technique is used in order to prevent unnecessary damage to potential artifacts in the soil.

Applications

Two tools that are often unappreciated but play an important role on site. A Zambeli is a large rubber bucket placed in the trenches and is very important in removing soil. Soil it transferred from the trenches to the wheelbarrows via the zambeli and then transported to the dirt pile away from the trenches. In order to excavate a site you need to be clean and precise, so soil needs to be constantly moving. Wheelbarrows are often running non-stop all day long on site. This tool is how you get the straightest bulk walls on site.

Archaeological sites are broken down into grid units and on our site each grid is a 5 X 5 meter square. Filled sandbags are usually placed around the top edges of the baulks. Finally the area will be swept clean with a yard broom. Fine Excavation Tools Some archaeologists and especially palaeontologists can appear more like dentists in their digging holes with fine surgical instruments and a slow calculated rate of excavation.

For most, however, the tools are relatively straightforward. The basic tool kit will consist of at least one standard 4 inch trowel, a leaf trowel used for finer more delicate work, plumb bob to ensure the baulk sides remain vertical, a foam kneeling mat or knee pads, a six to eight metre hand measuring tape, one 1 inch and one 2 inch paint brush, a set of callipers, well-fitting comfortable gloves, and a horde of black rubber buckets.

As well as these, a specialist might add a number of small tools such as a dental pick, scalpel, magnifying glass and smaller makeup brushes.

What Tools do Archaeologists Use

Recording Apparatus Archaeologists may record finds as they are discovered and they will also make a detailed recording at the end of each day. Recording artefacts, including architecture, may be sketched or photographed. The archaeological photographer usually is equipped with high resolution digital imaging devices, sturdy tripod, adequate auxiliary lighting to combat the high contrast caused by open sun shadowing, and a calibrated measurement board.

All buckets with sherds and other finds are labelled on waterproof tags and some may be placed into named plastic bags for separation purposes. Health and Safety Kit Many archaeological digging sites are in hot remote areas where access to medical facilities is often not possible.

A wise archaeologist will enter the site well prepared for the conditions. For example, at a hot, dry digging site the personal support kit might consist of many litres of cold water, broad rimmed hat, sun cream, insect repellent, first aid kit, and a portable shade system. Specialist Paraphernalia The archaeological specialist will need to tailor tools for the specifics of the task.

Underwater archaeology requires much more than just wet suit, air tanks, mask, snorkel, fins, watch, and a catch bag. Digging underwater is both complex and dangerous.

Get the Job

Lack of visibility is always a disadvantage. At deep depths there is very little light and stirring up the silty seabed can reduce visibility to nil. Special vacuum extraction hoses are used to suck up the seabed to the surface. Recording underwater finds will require specially housed camera equipment. The diver, with risks of electrocution, may need to carry strong additional artificial lighting. Meanwhile, back in the archaeological laboratory, technicians are using microscopes, x-ray machines, performing chemical analysis experiments, re-photographing with infra-red, ultra-violet and other specialist photographic techniques as they play their part in the complexity of archaeological excavation.

Tools of the Archaeologist. Each square is identified by its own coordinate. This grid map allows researchers to record the exact location where each artifact was found. Round-edged shovels are used to remove surface material to reveal the strata where the artifacts are expected to be found. When the desired layer is unearthed, flat-edged shovels are used to carefully remove very thin layers of material. As they get closer to the artifacts, smaller tools are employed. The flat bladed, pointed trowel used in the bricklaying trade allows archaeologists to scrape the soil away in very fine layers.

A small pickaxe is sometimes used to loosen compacted soil for easier removal.

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Sometimes obstructions such as tree roots are encountered in the process of digging. Clippers and saws help remove these. A variety of brushes are employed.

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The goal is to remove the dirt from around the artifact and slowly reveal it. Great care must be taken to not damage the artifacts during the excavation process. Stiff brushes, such as paint brushes or whisk brooms, remove larger material.