| Then and Now: Archeology at Fort Stanwix |
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Archeology | |||||||
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Archeology is the study of society through material remains. Using the objects and places left behind, archeologists study the past and try to unravel how people lived, what they ate, what they wore, and what the world was like in their time. |
| How do you do Archeology? | ||
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Archeology is not just going out and collecting things. Archeological excavation uses a series of scientific techniques to control where and how the material is recovered from the ground. For an archeologist, the information is more important than the object. To learn more, click here. For an example of how we found a bank, click here. | |
| Why do Archeology? | |
| Archeological resources are a fragile resource and once disturbed they can never give the answers that archeologists want to ask about our past. Once damaged or destroyed, the information carried by the archeological deposits or artifacts is lost forever. To see what the 1970s demolition did to the site, click here. |  |
| How do you know where to dig? | |
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Archeologists do more than excavate. Archeologists also do research to see what was on a site in the past. People have been finding and recording archeological remains for a long time, so we can look at what other archeologists have found before. We look at maps and photographs to see what has been recorded for a particular spot. We can also look at letters, journals, diaries, and legal records, such as deeds and tax records, to find out what has been written about a particular place. To see more maps, click here. |
| Who can do Archeology? | |
| It depends on where you are. On public property, like Fort Stanwix, the land is protected so only people who have been given permission by the government can do archeology there. On private property, whoever owns the land can give permission to do archeology, so you can do archeology at home. Remember, archeology is not just digging holes in the ground but careful excavation and record keeping. If you want to do it yourself, make sure you aren't destroying what you are trying to save. Even metal detecting and removing items from the ground can do a lot of damage to an archeological site. |  |
What we did at the Willett Center site.
| Archeology in the United States |
| The Federal Government requires archeological resources under their control to be protected from destruction. There are a series of laws that protect archeological resources but the most important is the National Historic Preservation Act. This law requires projects that are on federally owned land or use federal money to conduct archeological investigations and avoid needless destruction of archeological resources. |
| Historical Archeology |
| Historical Archeology combines archeogical investigation of material remains with documentary evidence. In the United States, this is generally limited to the period since the European discovery of the New World from 1492 onward. You can read more about historical archeology at the website for the Society for Historical Archaeology. |
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