Teacher Resources

Archaeology in a Box
Objective:
Students take part in a simulated “archaeological dig” by carefully uncovering, observing and recording “artifacts” buried beneath sand in a box.
General Information:
Grade: 4-7 Group Size: 20-number of boxes depends on number of students Duration: 1-hour more if a lengthy discussion on archaeology and archaeologists is included prior to this activity.
Materials:
• A low sided box with a sturdy bottom. If using a shoe box, use 1 for every two students. A larger box (36x36) can be made for every four students. Boxes shouldn’t be larger than that or they become to heavy to carry when filled with sand. • Small scoops (from laundry detergent, etc.) 1 for every “digger” • Small paintbrushes, 2 for every box • Various “artifacts”: marble, piece of a comb, clean chicken bones, piece of a plastic spoon or fork, broken seashell, part of a barrette, pencil, etc. Using broken pieces of common objects makes the “detective” work more difficult. (If possible, include some hard-to-identify items.) Have enough for about 4 artifacts per shoe box, or 10 or so artifacts for a larger box. • Glue-to glue artifacts to box • Sand (not dirt), available at hardware store or Toys R Us • Empty buckets or containers to hold displaced sand • Paper and pencils for each student
Background:
This activity will simulate what archaeologists do when they excavate an archaeological site. The stratigraphical location (depth of the artifact in relationship to the soil layers) is very important in determining the relative age of an artifact in relationship to other artifacts. Most children get too excited to leave an artifact in its original location, and tend to yank it out of the sand. Gluing the artifacts to the bottom of the box keeps them in their original location. Begin this activity with a discussion on archaeology and what archaeologists do. Make the discussion as brief or as in depth as the age and abilities of your students, and the time you have allotted for this activity.
Setup:
The day before, in the bottom of each box, arrange several artifacts. Lay them in interesting positions, or arrange them so it appears that the artifacts might have “belonged together” (a pencil next to an eraser). Glue the artifacts to the bottom of the box, and let dry overnight. Place the boxes at or near where you want the students to work on them before filling them with sand. You should have at least 2 inches of sand covering over the top of the artifacts.
Procedure:
1. Discuss with the students what they think an archaeologist does. Write down answers on the board, giving the students some background on archaeology. Compare how archaeologists are like detectives: from pieces of evidence (artifacts) they find, they must determine what the artifacts are, how they were used, and who made them. Tell them that they will be detectives today. 2. Ask the students to define the word artifact. If necessary, have one of the students look up the word in a dictionary. 3. After discussing what an artifact is, list some artifacts an archaeologist might find if a prehistoric Indian site was excavated. Think of what these artifacts might be made of. On the board, list the various materials artifacts might be made of, bone, wood, stone, ceramic, (pottery), and plant material. List artifacts under these headings. Discuss which artifacts would last longer than others, and why some materials would deteriorate. Discuss what factors would be involved in the preservation of an artifact: soil type, moisture, weathering, human or animal disturbance, etc.. 4. Now on the board, list some materials modern artifacts are made from plastic, paper, steel, fabric, styrofoam, wood, aluminum, glass, etc. List several artifacts under each heading. Discuss again what factors would hasten the deterioration of these artifacts, and which materials would last the longest. 5. Erase the list of artifacts from the board, but keep the headings listed. Assign two students to each artifact box if it is a shoebox, or four students to each box if the box is bigger. Assign one student to be the recorder, the other(s) to be the digger(s). (These assignments may be rotated so each student has a chance to dig.) 6. Explain to the students that their job is to uncover artifacts found in the box, record them, determine what material they are made from, and list what they think they were used for. Also explain to the students that the artifacts are attached to the bottom of the box, but they need to be very careful so as not to dislodge the artifact from the box, or break a piece of the artifact. The students assigned to dig should slowly and carefully remove the sand from the box, using a small scoop, and scooping the sand into a bucket. Once they have reached an artifact, have them take smaller scoops of sand and use a paintbrush to carefully remove the sand from the artifact. All sand should be removed from the artifact before going to another one. 7. The student who is the recorder writes down the information from the students who are digging. This information should include: the shape of the artifact, what it is made of, any inscription on it, and what its use might be. 8. When all the artifacts have been uncovered and all information recorded, have one person from each group read the information they have gathered on their artifact box. On the board, write down each artifact under the heading of the material it was made from. Have the students discuss what they think each artifact was, what its uses were, and how they came to their conclusion. 9. Discuss which artifact would last if it were buried in the sand 10 years from now…20 years from now…100 years from now…1,000 years from now. What would decompose the fastest? What would decompose the slowest? (Glass never decomposes) Help them understand that animal and vegetable products decompose relatively quickly (bones, skin, feathers, & wood) Processed products such as plastic, metal, and glass take much longer. 10. End activity with a discussion on how archaeologists take pieces of artifacts they find and determine what they were made of, how they were used, and who could have made them. These clues help archaeologists determine the lifestyle of the people who lived at that particular site many hundreds of years ago.