Looking into the past

Archaeology helps us understand how people lived in the past through the retrieval and study of the things they left behind. While meticulous scientific excavation is an important part of an archaeologist’s work, much more time is given to analysis and interpretation to uncover the history of past cultures.

When archaeologists excavate and analyse artefacts they are attempting to understand the livelihoods, events, diet and environments of the people from another age. It is often the most day-to-day objects that provide the most interesting information about these past

Interpretation
"Putting the pieces together"

Archaeologists don’t set out to find objects from the past, they set out to investigate the past. They use the objects they find to give them clues about how people lived and worked, what was important to them and how they interacted with their environment. Every archaeologist has a responsibility to interpret and publicise their findings. However, two archaeologists looking at the same object or site may come up with different theories about its history.

Interpretations can vary over time as new evidence is discovered and ideas and attitudes change.  Also as the science of archaeology develops, new tests continue to emerge, revealing information about objects and sites that can disprove old theories and support new ones. Archaeological investigation is a never ending process.

Museums and conservation
"Preserving objects from the past"

Artefacts that have managed to survive for thousands of years in the ground will begin to deteriorate as soon as they are uncovered and exposed to the air. Therefore they need to be handled with great care and returned to a secure environment as soon as possible so that they do not decay any further.

Once Sharjah’s team of archaeologists have documented and analysed their finds they are transferred to the museum for safe keeping and display. With careful conservation these objects should survive for many more thousands of years.

Site formation
"Layer upon layer of history"

An archaeological site is formed by the daily activities of people over many hundreds and sometimes thousands of years. As the people of the past threw out their rubbish, built new houses, demolished old ones and simply used their surroundings, they left behind traces of their culture that became buried over time. These artefacts lie locked beneath the ground for future discovery, with the most recent generally being closest to the surface.

When conducting an excavation, archaeologists work carefully through the different layers of the site, each one corresponding to a period of time in its history. The age and function of objects can be determined by the order and position in which they are found, giving a picture of the people who lived there at different times in the past.

Site discovery
"Looking for evidence of past lives"

The work of an archaeologist begins with locating the site. Sites can be found through detailed examination and investigation of an area or they can be discovered by chance during building works or road construction. Some sites, such as the Egyptian pyramids, were never hidden and have always remained visible on the surface.

Archaeologists often start by making an assessment about where sites might be by considering the ancient environment and available natural resources. An area that had a fresh water source, some shelter, and a food source nearby would be an ideal place for people to live and work at any time, now or in the past.