Archaeology IP

Archaeology The Archaeology IP is an interest project from the Girl Scouts of Black Hawk Council.

Skill Builders

Learn the definition of Archaeology and how it differs from the related fields of Paleontology, Geology, and History.
Find out how Archaeologists make discoveries about the past. Learn about a recent archaeological discovery in your state, country, and in the world. Compare them. How are they different or the same?
Archaeologists make maps of archaeological sites and artifact locations. Practice map making in your backyard or school yard. Be sure and map both natural and cultural (human made) objects.
Learn why Archaeology is important, and why you should be a good “steward” to archaeological sites. Learn about some federal laws that help to protect archaeological sites. Find out information about the following laws.

Make a time-line for your state. Start with the oldest known inhabitants on one end and work your way up to the present. Add approximate dates and some developments in technology on your time line.
Work on you family’s genealogy. In writing down you family history, think about how archaeology could help you understand the everyday life of your ancestors.

Learn about how archaeologists date sites and artifacts. Be able to define and tell about the following archaeological dating techniques.

Find out what tools an archaeologist uses during an excavation and how they use them. Find out what tools an archaeologist uses in the lab.
Try your hand at experimental archaeology! Study the way in which prehistoric peoples made tools. Try your hand at flint knapping and make a stone tool. Learn how to make cordage (rope), or make a clay pot.
Research and prepare a Native American meal. Corns, beans, squash, peppers and wild rice were all cultivated in the Americas for thousands of years. Remains of these foods are found at archaeological sites. Prepare a Native American dish.

Volunteer at a local museum. Many local or state museums have volunteer programs that offer training to work as a museum docent or guide, or to work on the archaeology collection.
Volunteer to do a presentation to a school or after school club. This would allow you to share what you have learned about archaeology.
Volunteer to help monitor or work at an archaeological site. Contact your local historical society or the State Archaeologist where you live.
Visit a lab or archaeological site, help to wash artifacts as they come in from the field.
Participate in a grave yard study.

Some states need help in recording information from old cemeteries. In Wisconsin, call or write the Wisconsin State Old Cemetery Society, 1562 N. 119 Street, Wauwautosa, WI 53226. The current Archivist (as of 09/01) is Robert Felber (414) 355-6252. Each county in Wisconsin has a representative who may be able to help you. OR
Help to maintain a cemetery that is in disrepair. Contact the caretaker or owner of the cemetery to get permission. They will also help you determine what needs to be done, and the laws and regulations that go along with it. OR
Do a cemetery study to learn more on your own. (You will still need to ask for permission first) Start by recording the ages of the graves and making a map of the headstones. What can be deduced from the graves and your map? Are most of the graves recent, or older? All the graves from one time period clustered together? In what time period do you find most of the graves? Do any of the deaths have similar dates that would indicate an epidemic? Is there an average life span in the cemetery? Is the average life span change in different time periods? What sort of decorations do the stones have? Do they change through time? What else can you learn from the gravestones?

Talk with an archaeologist. Interview them and find out why they chose this career path. Find out about the classes they found the most helpful in school and what kind of education they needed to advance in their field.
Pick an area of science, math or social studies that you are interested in. Archaeology borrows techniques and methods from many other fields. Find out how archaeologists use that science in the lab or the field. Here are some examples of fields/topics to choose from: Geometry, Chemistry, Geology, History, Botany or Zoology.
Visit a Historic Site in your area. Find out how Archaeology has assisted the site staff in interpreting the history of the site.