The archaeologist while on the digging site has demanding needs. The primary purpose of any archaeological excavation is to discover buried artefacts by removing the ground surrounding them. Excavation may be in soft sand, hard stony soil or even underwater. The tools required to perform the task will reflect the nature of the excavation site.
Field Site Equipment: Digging Tools Health and Safety Kit Recording ApparatusSpecialist Paraphernalia:Underwater GearLaboratory EquipmentOn most land-based expeditions, excavation tools are generally the same. There is a basic ‘tool kit’ that is almost mandatory for any archaeologist when digging in a field location.
Paleontologists (Pale-ee-on-TAHL-o-jists) are scientists who study earth's earliest inhabitants, such as dinosaurs and fossils of other once-living things. They are interested in the really ancient remains of plants and animals that are now extinct and which are usually preserved in the layers of the earth as fossils. Archaeologists study the remains left behind by people in the past. Archaeologists do not study dinosaurs and fossils, although they may come across them by accident while they are digging. Out in the field, archaeologists and palaeontologists may look a lot alike because they use similar methods and sometimes similar tools to uncover the past. Palaeontology, however, teaches us about the history of the earth and its earliest inhabitants, while archaeology teaches us about ancient (and sometimes not-so-ancient) people.
Archaeologists are scientists that study how humans lived in the past. They do this by excavating the remains of past human societies. Artifacts such as cups and bowls used for eating, tools employed in everyday activities, and the dwellings they lived in all provide clues for the archaeologist to analyze. Even the soil from which the artifacts are recovered helps the archaeologist recreate the environment where ancient people lived. Archaeology is a painstaking process that requires tremendous patience and attention to detail.
