Process of Archaeology | An Introduction
You can learn more about the step-by-step process of archaeology in three ways:
- Learn more by reading Archaeologists" at Work: Archaeology: A Step by Step Process, where you can see a Pictorial Guide and follow a Case Study of our excavations at the Stabler Leadbeater Apothecary Shop.
- Print and use our Educational Activites for Home and Classroom, to reinforce what you’ve learned about the process of archaeological research and the importance of preserving our past.
Archaeology, the scientific study of the human past, follows a step-by-step process. Archaeological sites are natural resources, holding clues to our past. It is through this understanding of the past that we may enrich and improve our present community. The National Center for History in the Schools at UCLA wrote, "Without history, a society shares no common memory of where it has been, what its core values are, or what decisions of the past account for present circumstances."
Alexandria was founded by Scottish traders in the 1730s along the Potomac River. It is geographically positioned between the industrial North and the agrarian South. The City's History reflects many changes in economic focus, ethnic diversity, patterns of land use and social stratification which are typical of American urban environments.
Alexandria Archaeology studies and preserves archaeological sites in the City and interprets them for the public through Museum Exhibitions, Public Programs such as seminars, workshops and tours, and Publications. City archaeologists and volunteers work together to discover fragments of the past buried beneath Alexandria's yards, streets and buildings. Artifacts found in excavations throughout the City are brought to the lab for classification and study. These artifacts are analyzed and interpreted to better understand past life in Alexandria. All this work is conducted in a step-by-step process, much like a scientific experiment.
