Archaeology Choose Your Own Adventure game

[archaeologygame]

Choose Your Own Adventure: Archaeological Excavation

Are you interested in archaeology? Did those Indiana Jones movies of the brave, adventurous archaeologist captivate you with the prospect of discovering the secrets of the past? Or perhaps one of the numerous museums filled with the fruits of archaeological labor captured your interest with the discovered works of people who lived so many lifetimes ago.

Whatever the reason is for your interest, you are probably aware that movies like Indiana Jones represent archaeology about as well as High School Musical represents a typical American high school. Even the museums don’t get into the process of finding the artifacts in a way that really describes how they are found.

Now, you could read a book or maybe even find a really long webpage explaining what an archaeologist does, how they do it, and what kind of methods they use, but that would also be a pretty long read. However, now that you have found this page you can learn the process of what an archaeologist does by following a simple text-based story with optional access to more information about important things in an archaeologist’s life. To make this game even better educational links will be posted so that EVEN MORE good knowledge is accessible at the click of a button.

This is an accessible, short rundown of what an archaeologist does in the field that also provides optional access to more detailed descriptions and links that provide an accurate and academic resource. This project was created by a senior archaeology minor for an archaeological methods and theory class at Millsaps College.

BEGIN!

[archaeologygame]

Credits

This game was created an archaeological methods and theory class at Millsaps College.

Millsaps Sociology-Anthropology Department Tumblr

Millsaps Sociology-Anthropology Department official page

Game created by:

Michelle McIntosh

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[archaeologygame]

Pages Guide

Introduction and Start to the Game:

Introduction to the Game

Start of the Game

Credits

Resource Pages and Questions Answered:

Archaeological Sites

What is an archaeological site?

How do archaeological sites form?

Artifacts

What is an artifact?

What can we learn from the context of an artifact?

What can the artifact itself tell us?

Are expensive artifacts like gold jewelry more important than artifacts like a figurine carved out of regular stone?

What can an artifact tell us if someone other than an archaeologist, such as a person wanting to sell it, removes it?

Why are artifacts important to the archaeologist?

Excavation

What is an excavation?

Is there more I can learn about the process of excavation?

How many artifacts does an archaeologist find during an excavation?

How do archaeologists avoid missing smaller artifacts with so much dirt?

What happens when an archaeologist finds human remains?

Are there more ways of finding artifacts and ecofacts?

Stratigraphy

What is stratigraphy?

Why do archaeologists care so much about soil?

Does stratigraphy affect how archaeologists dig?

What else can the stratigraphy of a site tell us?

How do archaeological sites form?

How do archaeologists date sites and artifacts?

How are living floors important?

Surveys

What is a Survey in Archaeology?

Do archaeologists all strive to find ancient tombs and lost cities?

What types of surveys do archaeologists use?

What are the different types of survey methods that archaeologists use?

What are settlement patterns?

Bad End Explanation (Problems in Archaeology)

All Resources:

2017. Archaeological Process. City of Alexandria Virginia. https://www.alexandriava.gov/historic/archaeology/default.aspx?id=33498#ExcavatingtheSite

Cascardi, Jean 2015. The Process of Water Screening at OCPP. C.A.R.T Archaeology. https://cartarchaeology.wordpress.com/2015/07/15/the-process-of-water-screening-at-ocpp/

Corcoran, Ken 2017. Using Ground-Penetrating Radar on Archaeological Sites. GSSI. https://www.geophysical.com/using-ground-penetrating-radar-archaeological-sites

Emery, Kate M. 2015.  Importance of Field Work: Sifting to Recover Bones. Bones Don't Lie. https://bonesdontlie.wordpress.com/2015/06/09/importance-of-field-work-sifting-to-recover-bones/

Giannoni, Daniel. 2013. First Pictures: Peru’s Rare, Unlooted Royal Tomb. https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/06/pictures/130627-peru-archaeology-wari-south-america-human-sacrifice-royal-ancient-world-photos/ National Geographic

Hearn, Kelly and Jason Golomb Machu Picchu: This Peruvian city was discovered over 100 years ago, but archaeologists are still trying to solve the mystery of its purpose. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/archaeology/machu-picchu-mystery/

Hirst, Kris K. 2017. Flotation Method in Archaeology: An Efficient, Low-Cost Method to Recover Artifacts, if Used Cautiously. ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-the-flotation-method-170929

Hirst, Kris K. 2017. Settlement Patterns - Studying the Evolutions of Societies. Thought Co. https://www.thoughtco.com/settlement-patterns-studying-evolution-societies-172772

2018. How do archeologists know where to look for sites? Archaeology Program. https://www.nps.gov/archeology/afori/whdo_look3.htm

Hirst, Kris 2018. Site Formation Processes in Archaeology. ThoughtCo.https://www.thoughtco.com/site-formation-processes-172794

2018. Interactive Dig Blackfairy. Archaeological Institute of America.https://www.archaeological.org/interactivedigs/blackfriaryireland/fieldlife/remains

Lawrence, Matthew 2015. Magnetometer Survey Technology and Methods. Ocean Exploration and Research.https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/15lostwhalingfleets/logs/5_sept13/log5_sept13.html

Mascort, Maite 2018. Close Call: How Howard Carter Almost Missed King Tut's Tomb. History Magazine. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/magazine/2018/03-04/findingkingtutstomb/

Methods of Gathering Data. SAA. http://www.saa.org/ForthePublic/Resources/EducationalResources/ForEducators/ArchaeologyforEducators/MethodsofGatheringData/tabid/1347/Default.aspx

Mueller, Tom 2016. How Tomb Raiders Are Stealing Our History: The illegal antiquities trade is booming, wreaking havoc on the world's archaeological heritage. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2016/06/looting-ancient-blood-antiquities/

Owens, James Pompeii: Archaeologists are investigating the remains of Pompeii, a city frozen in time. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/archaeology/pompeii/

Pottery Identification. Peterborough Archaeology. https://peterborougharchaeology.org/archaeology-skills-techniques/pottery-identification/

PBS News Hour 2017. Why Hobby Lobby is in trouble for importing artifacts.PBS. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/hobby-lobby-trouble-importing-artifacts

Roach, John Emperor Qin's Tomb: The Terra-Cotta Army protects the tomb of China's first emperor. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/archaeology/emperor-qin/

Sever, Tom Archeological Remote Sensing. Remote Sensing.https://weather.msfc.nasa.gov/archeology/remote_sensing.html

Ustundag, Ezgi 2012. Who Owns the Past? The Controversy Over Antiques. Duke Today.https://today.duke.edu/2012/09/whoowns

Physical Resources Used (Not Linked):

Bard, Kathryn A. 2015. An Introduction to the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., UK.

Kelly, Robert L. and David H. Thomas 2013         Archaeology. 6th ed. Wadsworth, California.

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What is a Survey in Archaeology?

IMPORTANT NOTE: the links on this page lead to other sites. If you want to know what you are clicking all of the URLs are at the bottom of the page in order of appearance. 

Finding out where to dig is a big part of archaeology. No archaeologist just choses an excavation site based on a whim or by throwing a dart at a map. Archaeologists use different types of surveys and tools to find sites to maximize efficiency based on the environment and what they are looking to answer their research question.

Do archaeologists all strive to find ancient tombs and lost cities?

Different archaeologists study different aspects of past human culture. The goal of archaeology isn't to study just large monuments and buried cities, but to add to what we know about all humans from those living in tiny villages to leaders of empires. While it is impossible to avoid bias in archaeology, because every site you choose to excavate over others will be different, archaeologists use techniques like randomly sampling prospective sites in order to make their findings as statistically significant as possible.

What types of surveys do archaeologists use?

Archaeologists utilize many different methods to find out where to dig. One way archaeologists have "discovered" sites is by talking to the people who live in the area and asking what they know about the landscape and what they are looking for. Machu Picchu, a famous archaeological site that remained hidden from the Spaniards during colonization, is credited as being discovered by an archaeologist, however the archaeologist was led there by someone living in the area who had already visited the site. Technology has impacted the way archaeologists survey the land with methods like using ground-penetrating radar, which can detect buried objects and how deep in the ground they are. Other methods of surveying for archaeological sites as well as resources are linked below.

Extra Links:

What are the different types of survey methods that archaeologists use?

Subsurface Testing

Remote Sensing

The Proton Magnetometer

Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR)

What are settlement patterns?

Resources:

What types of surveys do archaeologists use?

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/1913/04/machu-picchu-peru-inca-hiram-bingham-discovery/

What are the different types of survey methods that archaeologists use?

https://www.nps.gov/archeology/afori/whdo_look3.htm

https://weather.msfc.nasa.gov/archeology/remote_sensing.html

https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/15lostwhalingfleets/logs/5_sept13/log5_sept13.html

https://www.geophysical.com/using-ground-penetrating-radar-archaeological-sites

What are settlement patterns?

https://www.thoughtco.com/settlement-patterns-studying-evolution-societies-172772

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[archaeologygame]

What is Stratigraphy?

IMPORTANT NOTE: the links on this page lead to other sites. If you want to know what you are clicking all of the URLs are at the bottom of the page in order of appearance. 

The stratigraphy of an archaeological site is the formation of the strata. The strata are individual, distinct layers of sediment that are used by archaeologists to differentiate between periods of human activity and geological conditions. Recording the differences in strata is important for an archaeologist, which is one reason why Munsell Soil Books are an essential part of the archaeologist's excavation kit.

Why do archaeologists care so much about soil?

Soil itself is an important part of archaeology and can provide different types of information depending on the composition and context it is found in. Soil difference is the reason the Munsell Soil Book is so crucial to an archaeologist is because it allows archaeologists to have a consistent labeling system for different colors of soil, which allows us to see change in the formation process. The color of the soil is the most common characteristic recorded by archaeologists and is usually noted on each excavation form. A stark change in the color of a stratum in a specific spot can tell us that the spot was used for something specific.

Does stratigraphy affect how archaeologists dig?

Natural levels are the organic levels of sediment that are distinct from other levels whether through content, color, texture or any element that distinguishes them from the other strata. Excavating using natural levels allows archaeologists to analyze the different time periods of a site by accounting for things like slopes that would mix artifacts from different time periods. When the difference in the strata is unclear or when a strata is more than 10 centimeters thick, archaeologists use arbitrary levels and usually dig down about five centimeters to help mediate the risk of mixing different strata.

What else can the stratigraphy of a site tell us?

Strata containing distinctive artifacts that are shown to be prevalent at many different sites across a large area are used as time-markers, because they show a distinctive time period where people were using the same items. Time-markers were used to categorize and name the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age for an example.

Extra Links:

How do archaeological sites form? (also in Archaeological Sites)

How do archaeologists date sites and artifacts?

Radiocarbon Dating, Argon-Argon Dating, Thermoluminescence Dating

Index Fossils

Seriation

Tree-Ring Dating

Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Dating

How are living floors important?

Resources:

What is stratigraphy?

https://munsell.com/color-blog/brown-soil-color-chart-archaeology/

How do archaeological sites form?

https://www.thoughtco.com/site-formation-processes-172794

How do archaeologists date sites and artifacts?

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/showing-their-age-62874/

http://archaeologymuseum.ca/index-types/

http://archaeologymuseum.ca/seriation/

https://dendro.cornell.edu/articles/kuniholm2001a.pdf

https://www.radiocarbon.com/accelerator-mass-spectrometry.htm

How are living floors important?

https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/2016/06/30/the-importance-of-floors-a-case-study-of-feature-300/

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[archaeologygame]

What is an Archaeological Site?

IMPORTANT NOTE: the links on this page lead to other sites. If you want to know what you are clicking all of the URLs are at the bottom of the page in order of appearance. 

Despite being an important and well-used term, "archaeological site" doesn't have an exact and clearly defined definition. Famous archaeological sites like the Pyramids of Giza or Machu Picchu clearly fit the definition of being an archaeological site, but once you get to much smaller sites what fits the definition isn't always clear and the archaeologist must decide. The vague definition of "archaeological site" is anywhere that past human activity can be found.

The reason the archaeologist has to make a judgment call is because sometimes the evidence of human activity has been disrupted by nature. Sometimes a site is disrupted by something like a river or other natural obstacle. Natural forces can also disrupt a site by moving lighter weight items from a site, while leaving heavier items, which moves the artifacts from their original context.

What archaeologists consider a site can also be very different from other archaeological sites in ways that most people probably would not consider to be a site. Pompeii is a popular archaeological site due to it being "frozen in time" and can stand as a stark contrast to other archaeological sites that contain occupations over hundreds of years.

Despite the constraints of the term "archaeological site", it is an essential part of the archaeological occupation as it is used to officially designate sites to the government and it is used by the archaeological databases as identification.

Extra Links:

How do archaeological sites form? (also in Stratigraphy)

Resources:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/archaeology/pompeii/

https://www.thoughtco.com/site-formation-processes-172794

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[archaeologygame]

What is an Artifact?

IMPORTANT NOTE: the links on this page lead to other sites. If you want to know what you are clicking all of the URLs are at the bottom of the page in order of appearance. 

An artifact is any human-altered, movable item. So items like pottery shards, jewelry, and other things that can be picked up would be considered an artifact, while things like walls would not. The artifacts archaeologists excavate give much more information than just what the item physically is or what it was used for when it is found and recorded in context. The natural materials recovered by archaeologists are called ecofacts, which include bones, plant material, and other naturally occurring matter. Archaeologists also excavate features, which are unmovable indications of human activity such as walls or pits.

What can we learn from the context of an artifact?

The context of an artifact, or any archaeological find, is its relationship to other artifacts. Knowing the context of an artifact allows the archaeologist to know not only where the artifact was found, but also what was around it. This not only includes what was found near the artifact, but also what is above and below the artifact, which places the artifact in timeframe and gives it value. Some artifacts can give clues to whether they were used commonly or by specific people depending on where they were found, like jewelry made of rare metals being found buried with someone who had high status. Archaeologists use field notes to record the placement of artifacts by taking a written record, drawing the artifact in the location to show how it was positioned, or take a picture of the artifact.

What can the artifact itself tell us?

When we know the context of the artifact it can tell us information that many people may not expect to get from something like a pot shard like what people ate for one! Artifacts can be sent off to a lab to have any residue that may be present tested to see what they are. Food residue that can be identified can tell us what people ate. Pot shards can also sometimes be put back together, which can give information on what they were used for. For example a pot with a large base and a small opening was likely used to carry liquid to avoid spilling and was not used to eat out of. A reconstructed pot can also give us a better view of any decoration a pot may have, which can then be used to compare certain styles of the time period for example.

Are expensive artifacts like gold jewelry more important than artifacts like a figurine carved out of regular stone?

Archaeologists are portrayed in movies as finding what most people would see as valuable treasures made of gold and jewels, but in reality archaeologists don't view what they find during an excavation as important based on the rarity or value it would hold in today’s society. Archaeologists collect artifacts and ecofacts as well as take detailed field notes of everything during an excavation whether or not it answers their research question, because a site cannot be re-excavated and the material collected could be useful to other archaeologists in the future. All material collected and reported during an excavation is important, but the value of an artifact or ecofact to archaeologists is what can be learned from it and not the item itself.

What can an artifact tell us if someone other than an archaeologist, such as a person wanting to sell it, removes it?

An artifact that has been removed from its context without any record of the context of where it was found makes the artifact lose much of its value to archaeologists. When artifacts are looted from archaeological sites we loose information such as where it was found, what it would have been found with, the position it was found in, and how deep it was found to name a few. To make matters worse when a site is looted not only does the stolen artifact lose its context, but the archaeological site it was taken from is destroyed.  

It's easy to imagine looted artifacts being bought by a caricature of an evil, rich businessman who laughs smugly while smoking a cigar, but in reality looted artifacts are often bought by collectors who justify their actions in various ways, even if the artifacts were likely stolen by people with blood on their hands, which in turn encourages the looting as more stolen artifacts are purchased. Looting archaeological sites isn't a recent phenomenon, its been going on for thousands of years. In fact the most famous pharaoh, King Tutankhamen (or King Tut), was actually a very minor pharaoh whose burial was rushed and presence forgotten until he was discovered thousands of years later in his untouched tomb by archaeologists, making him and his treasures one of the most famous archaeological discoveries of all time.

Why are artifacts important to the archaeologist?

When it comes to artifacts an archaeologist's job is extremely important not only in finding the artifacts and recording their physical description and location, but also in interpreting their place in the past and using that to add to our knowledge of the past. After all, the artifacts themselves tell us nothing about the past and need to be interpreted by people who can place the knowledge derived from them and fit it into what we already know to create a clearer picture.

Resources:

What can an artifact tell us if someone other than an archaeologist, such as a person wanting to sell it, removes it?

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2016/06/looting-ancient-blood-antiquities/

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/hobby-lobby-trouble-importing-artifacts

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/magazine/2018/03-04/findingkingtutstomb/

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[archaeologygame]

Bad End Explanation

IMPORTANT NOTE: the links on this page lead to other sites. If you want to know what you are clicking all of the URLs are at the bottom of the page in order of appearance. 

Playing this you probably thought someone would have to be an idiot to actually believe anything as stupid as something like superdolphins, and you're right, but sometimes people will be idiots anyways.

We'll start with the first, and least clear option of the bunch, which is specifically looking for a site to fit what every narrative you have in your head that is not scientific. The real life version of this is more extreme than what is presented here and changes whenever someone finds a perfectly intact religious or fantasy site. This time we are on the second? third(?) Noah's Ark that has been found!It must be true if there are so many of them!

The second infraction, which involves neglecting the evidence you want over the rest of the site is somehow still worse in real-life than I was able to make it in the game (it’s still bad though). Instead of one archaeologist neglecting evidence, we have archaeologists intentionally destroying evidence that doesn't fit how they want their history to look. It may sound childish, but this is in the middle of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict so this behavior is fueling and being fueled by violence...yeah...moving on.

If you already know everything and you need something to prove that to everyone, you probably don't actually know everything. Also, finding artifacts that appear to support some crazy theory and sticking with it while ignoring a sensible explanation for is not a good thing to do as an archaeologist. However, that reasoning has never stopped people before and it won't now, especially the archaeologists who disregard facts and believe their explanation overpowers all others.These kinds of people are annoying to deal with, but become even worse when they disperse their conspiracies through mass media and present their arguments with fabricated lies who don't know enough about the topic to challenge what they are saying.  

The fourth archeological sin is not done by real archaeologists (that I know of) as they have no background in past human culture nor do they understand what they are saying, because what they are saying cannot be understood because it is not real. However, despite all of this people still believe what they are saying, because they have a popular TV show on the not so "History Channel". So unlike the attempt to convince other archaeologists that superdolphins altered history, these people convince regular people that aliens altered history, which is more effective because archaeologists actually know what happened in the past. Also, the implications of their findings are pretty racist.

GUIDE OF ALL EXTRA INFORMATION PAGES

Resources:

https://badarchaeology.wordpress.com/2011/01/01/the-other-ark/

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/12/inside-bible-collectors-search-other-original-christian-texts/

https://badarchaeology.wordpress.com/2012/10/11/all-the-small-things-out-of-place-artefacts-ooparts/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristinakillgrove/2015/09/03/what-archaeologists-really-think-about-ancient-aliens-lost-colonies-and-fingerprints-of-the-gods/#9938e4c7ab0c

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After a moment the room starts applauding and you walk off the stage, happy that everything went well.

In the end your extensive research, detailed note taking, and excellent record about the site you excavated awarded you praise from your fellow archaeologists and recognition in helping to find the archaeological site that would in years become infamous for defining the next decade with its unique dolphin-inspired everything which clashed with its hatred of dolphins, which caught on quick and just stayed around well past it's welcome.

Congratulations! You completed this game with an A+! If you are interested in learning more about archaeology links to detailed information and resources are provided below!

GUIDE OF ALL EXTRA INFORMATION PAGES

[archaeologygame]

You are stunned when you are met with laughter. You didn't expect that. In a mix of anger and embarrassment you quickly make your way off off the stage and out of the convention center. After this you will...

WAIT. This game is about archaeology so it really doesn't matter what you do, because you sure as hell won't be working in archaeology again so....

Get out of my site like a bucket of topsoil with your ancient dolphin conspiracies; you're ruining my context.

However, if you want to learn about all of the things you did wrong and why they are real problems in archaeology you can click here.

[archaeologygame]

This is it. You are finally finished with the excavation and are scheduled to leave in three days so you can present the find of the century at the largest archaeological convention in the world. You were scheduled to stay for several weeks and prepare the material you found at the site for storage, but everything collected during the excavation is worthless now that you have the final piece of the puzzle proving past human-superdolphin contact!

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You arrive at the main convention room and shove the person walking up the stairs to present their fabricated version of history; too blind to see the mistakes the superdolphins left underground of their existence in their rush to return to the ocean. You confidently stride up to the front of the stage and declare the truth,

Everyone here has been ignoring the truth of human history. You have all been unwilling to see what has been in front of you this entire time, so that you can continue spouting lies to the public to avoid facing the tough reality.

I am here today to finally prove what only the smartest people in the world have been willing to admit, since the first evidence was revealed in 1972. Here I have the only intact superdolphin mind-whipping helmet left behind when the dolphins returned to the ocean 1,000 years ago!

The superdolphins were careful when wiping their memory from humanities collective existence, but the tiny mistakes they made lead to their undoing. The only other mind-wiping helmets found were broken, but within travel distance from the site where this one was found, suggesting that the superdolphin in charge of removing the helmets was disposed somehow!

When you look at the fears humans had in the past it is of the superdolphins! The mermaids that lured people to death with their voices were clearly superdolphins! Also the so-called "whales" are actually superdolphins who created regular dolphins as a disguise to confuse us if we ever became aware of the true past.

This is the truth and it cannot be denied any longer!

You pant as you finish the explanation of your findings to the room of archaeologists.

Continue

[archaeologygame]

You finally finished the excavation and finishing back filling the last of the dirt. You are excited to get back and categorize your findings. You are staying in the area for several more weeks to organize and store what you found until next year where you will conduct an entire summer of lab work on the material. With your findings, the trade connections your hypothesis covers looks promising.

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One and a half years later

Your time in the lab was very productive and the evidence from the site supports your hypothesis, but you are nervous about presenting your findings. You take a deep breath. You can do this. The presenter before you begins to walk off of the stage as your name is called. You ascend the stairs and walk to the center of the stage and present your findings:

Evidence of trade between the other sites in the region has been recorded during other excavations and this is supported by my data. My findings support evidence of trade routes between sites within the region. This is supported by the distinct style of pottery being widespread throughout the region. Fauna and flora from the nearby regions was also who were likely traded for food.

This site also proves context on the strangely decorated potsherds found in the other excavated regions with an intact version of the ceramic in a mortuary context. The design on the pot can now be clearly viewed as a pod of dolphins eating fish while those on a boat above the water are crying.

The burial was also found with dolphin-bone jewelry, which was not found at the other sites. This leads me to believe that the culture trading unique ceramics and dolphin bones is on the coast. This is supported by the dolphin-themed items and the close proximity my excavation was in comparison to the other excavated sites.

I suggest this data be used to support the need for a survey of the coast closest to this site so that the we can learn more about the trade routes of these sites.

You finish presenting your findings to the room full of archaeologists.

Continue

[archaeologygame]

You excavate the rest of the burial and find other grave goods that you believe may have been traded from different areas due to their unique materials! You also cannot wait to date the charcoal sample you took near the burial! You are practically drooling at the thought of the lab work!

Continue

[archaeologygame]

You excavate the rest of the burial to see if there was anything else of value, but you only found primitive artifacts, which are completely unimportant, compared to your one-way ticket to fame. You sit and watch the workers excavate the site, putting a worker in charge of taking your field notes while you scan for any other treasures.

Continue

[archaeologygame]

You hit a rather thick stratum, so you've been using arbitrary levels in 5cm increments to continue the excavation. Suddenly, a worker abruptly summons you over to unit 4, it seems like they found something important. When you see the reason for their call it becomes clear to you that what they found is a human skull. You are aware of the requirements when it comes to archaeologists excavating human remains and how important the process is in preserving the context.

You feel excitement as you kneel down to begin excavating the burial. This is the first burial you've come across and it's located in the context of your main research question! You clear away some of the dirt covering the chest area of the remains and your trowel hits something that definitely isn't bone. As you uncover more and more of the artifact you can't believe your eyes, you know what this is because it is a main focus of your research question.

>>>You grin happily at the implications of this find! The style of this ceramic appears to be the same found in the other sites you researched, which supports your main research question and is almost completely intact! You can't wait to see what else in buried in this site!

>>>You start laughing at your good luck! The other archaeologists in your department will rue the day for laughing at your ideas! This style corresponds to findings from other sites that support the truth, but the preservation of this artifact shows that you were always right beyond the shadow of a doubt.

[archaeologygame]

You finish recording what you found during your careful excavation of the floor. You recorded an increase in the quantity of potsherds and recovered some promising ecofacts using floatation, which is done in order to recover items like plant remains or fish scales, which float in water when dirt sinks, which you would have likely lost if you had opted for normal sifting. It's a good thing you didn't rush; otherwise you would have lost the important information that can be derived from ecofacts!

You continue the excavation now that the floor has been recorded.

Continue

[archaeologygame]

You find an increase in the number of potsherds from the floor, but other than that there was nothing notable.

You continue with the excavation.

Continue