Paragraph on “The Science of Archaeology” complete paragraph for Class 9, Class 10, Class 11 and Class 12

The Science of Archaeology

Archaeology involves the study of the remains of past civilisations and societies. One of the earliest pioneers of this science was the German Archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann who discovered the remains of the city of Troy in the year 1870. There have been many discoveries since then and most of the artifacts we see in 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 aerial photography. Before beginning the excavation the area is marked with a grid of squares so that the exact position where an object was uncovered can be recorded. Archaeologists locate the general sites and begin digging the ground. The digging is carried out carefully with small tools and as the artifacts are uncovered, they are photographed and their details recorded. As the find is revealed, the objects which are recovered are dusted with soft brushes and preserved. The soil which is removed is carefully sieved for any objects which may have passed unseen. On occasions the digging continues till the Archaeologists are sure they have reached a layer of soil 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 principal followed is that of stratification. As per this principle the deeper an object is buried, the older it is. With the help of breathing apparatus archaeologists also search for treasure or remains on the sea beds. This is again a painstaking process and techniques like those on land are used. Some of the most spectacular excavations include the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922 in Egypt by the British archaeologist Howard Carter, and the discovery of a well preserved body in a peat bog in Denmark.