Glossary: Tools of the Archaeological Trade

Few of the tools used by archaeologists are exclusive to archaeology in the way a stethoscope is to a physician. Some are simple garden-variety solutions to straightforward problems. Others, especially in recent years, apply modern technology to record-keeping and to “seeing” beneath the surface of the ground. Archaeological tools serve three objectives: to identify a place to dig; to expose structures and artifacts belonging to different strata occupied at different periods; and to record the location of all finds so that exact reconstruction is possible when all physical evidence is removed from the dig site. Let’s look at some […]