Dig Into History

ASK

AWAY!

Have questions about world history, archaeology, paleontology?

Dr. Dig and Calliope are ready to answer them.

Q

Do archaeologists ever keep

DUWLIDFWVWKH\ğQG"'LG

WKH\LQWKHSDVWLIQRWQRZ"

— Maggie, Web post

A

TODAY, ANY ancient material is

understood to belong to the country

in which it was found. Governments have

departments that handle the storage,

preservation, and protection of artifacts.

They also cooperate with law enforcement to

recover artifacts that have been excavated

without permission. Therefore,

archaeologists must obey the laws and turn

over their materials to the governments. In

the past, laws were not as strict as they are

today. Many governments allowed

archaeologists and, in particular, the

organizations that sponsored them (usually

museums in Europe or the United States) to

keep some portion of what they found while

excavating. Even earlier, wealthy individuals

or families would sponsor excavations and

keep artifacts for their own collections.

— Calliope

Q

+RZ GR DUFKDHRORJLVWV NQRZ

ZKHUH WR GLJ" Ō HVSHFLDOO\

LI LW LV DQ DUHD ZKHUH QR RQH KDV

GXJ EHIRUH"

— Charlie, Web post

A

IN MOST cases, there is ample

evidence of human activity visible on

the surface before any excavation actually

takes place. Structures might still be

standing — or, at least, remains of structures.

Surface surveys that involve walking across

the area and identifying the size of pottery-

fragment remains in different places can

locate former centers of activity. Sometimes,

artifacts are uncovered by accident, as, for

by Sue Rice

48