Burial Sites Term Paper

Archaeology is a social science, with an emphasis on the word science. This means that the work that is conducted is done in a systematic acquisition of new knowledge about nature and the body of already existing knowledge gained. The scientific method is based on careful observation and the testing of theories by experiments. Archaeology uses these scientific procedures to study antiquities such as the remains of buildings or monuments of an early age, inscriptions, implements, written manuscripts and other relics.

An archaeological excavation, therefore, consists of a process including an initial site survey, breaking the area to be excavated into quadrants, carefully removing soil, recording precise locations of objects and features or provenance, marking and photographing each incremental soil layer (every piece of information retrieved from the site must be related to the layers, finds and structures around it, so that the complex relationships that contribute to the interpretation of the site can be recorded); Filling out the field reports including soil profiles; mapping the quadrant for the location of artifacts; Recording field observations and other variables that might impact the integrity of the site.

The work being done at Archbold farm in Sauder Village is being conducted as a formal archaeological dig. It started with a formal survey of where to dig.It is being conducted by Michael Pratt, professor of anthropology at Heidelberg College. He has been involved with historical preservation in this geographical area for some time.

Pratt was hired to determine more precisely what the first structure built in 1834 at Lauber Hill in Historic Sauder Village was like. Archeological research is a tool that could help build a more accurate Lauber home. It could also yield personal or domestic items that have been resting in the ground for the past 170 years. It is not known what the ground might hold. This type of research, when combined with….....