Activities at an archaeological dig
A Finds are carefully washed and labelled to record the trench and layers in which they were found.
B Strata revealed by the trench help archaeologists to date the various layers of the dig.
C Brushes and trowels are used to carefully uncover objects.
D Objects and sections of the site are photographed.
E After the site has been searched for objects, earth is removed from the trench.
F Positions of objects are recorded using drawing frames divided into squares.
G An ongoing record of progress at the dig is kept.

HA7 1.4 Evidence from archaeology

This diagram indicates different types of objects that might be found during the excavation of a site that has been occupied over thousands of years. Radiocarbon dating gives approximate dates before the present. There is a 95 per cent chance that the true date falls within 200 years either side of any estimated radiocarbon-dated age. However, radiocarbon dating cannot date anything that died more than about 40 000 years ago. In such remains there will not be enough C14 left for radiocarbon dating to work. Artefacts such as stone tools cannot be dated this way because they were never alive. But if they were found alongside a layer of plant remains or charcoal, that material could be dated, and the age of the tools would probably be similar.

HA7 1.5 How old is it?

The Colosseum was a vast amphitheatre in ancient Rome. To entertain Roman crowds, slaves trained to be gladiators were forced to fight, often to the death, against other gladiators or against wild animals that had been tormented to make them ferocious. Most gladiators were men but at least a few were young women. This artwork shows what happened below the arena as well as what happened above ground.

HA7 1.10 In Their Shoes

As each item is acquired, conservators check its condition carefully. It may need cleaning, some restoration or extensive repairs. Before any item is dismantled, its details are carefully photographed.

HA7 1.7 Conserving The Past

HA7 3.0 Overview

An Old Stone Age painting of bison from Lascaux cave in southern France

HA7 3.1 How Do We Know About... The Old Stone Age World

HA7 3.2 Out Of Africa

HA7 3.3 A Changing Paleolithic World

Egyptian wall painting of a harvesting scene, from the tomb of a successful artisan named Sennedjem, c. 1306–1290 BCE