Archaeology

One of the earliest pioneers of this science was the Geramn  archaeologist, Heinrich Schliemann who discovered the remains of the city of Troy in 1870.

There have been many discoveries since then and most of the artifacts we see in the museums are a result of excavations all over the world. These excavations are carried out on land as well as under water based on historical records, old maps, objects found by chance or through the help of aeiral photography

Before beginning the excavation the area is marked with a grid of squares so that the exact position where an object was found can be accurately recorded. Archaeologists locate the general sites and begin digging into the ground.

The digging is carried out carefully with small tools and as the articles are uncovered, they are photographed and details are recorded. As the find is revealed, the objects which are recovered are dusted with small brushes and preserved.

The soil removed is carefully sieved for any objects which may have passed unseen. On occassions the digging continues until the archaeologists are sure that they have reached a layer which has not been disturbed by humans in the past.

Archaeologists determine the age of an object with the help of scientific methods like radioactive dating but the basic principle followed is that of stratification. As per this principle, the deeper an object is buried, the older it is.

Irrespective of how much man will find out about the past, he will always be curious to know more.