Time Team: Using The Future To Dig Up The Past

Archaeological technology and methods have come a long way from the old image of a bearded man, dressed in a hat and waistcoat, digging frantically with half a trowel to find a ceramic pot dating all the way back to the 1990's. Revolutionary advances in the world of science and technology have since forced mankind to put aside the trowel and instead, pick up the radar.

These modern day devices allow us to scan wider areas and plots, search deeper without needing to scratch the surface of the ground and even allow us to measure the water and sediment content surrounding archaeological finds. Improvements in the world of archaeology have meant that the profession is now more efficient and accurate whilst being less time consuming.

This blog will look at the modern devices which have transformed archaeological research beyond belief.

Ground Penetrating Radar

An archaeological dig usually takes a significant amount of time as experts must be careful not to disturb or damage areas where potential important finds may be. However, modern technology now allows for safe research to be done in a short space of time. The ground penetrating radar is a non-destructive, geophysical method of searching areas for hidden finds. It does this by using radar pulses, transmitted through high-frequency radio waves below the earth's surface to create an image of the subsurface; aiding experts to look for artefacts and items of significance.

The radar works by transmitting a signal into the ground which will produce a return signal when it has hit an object, disturbance or change in density below the surface. This can be used to detect and map out the subsurface, artefacts, patterns and features which can be plotted as a three dimensional image on a computer. The ground penetrating radar measures depth much like sonar as the travel time of the signal indicates how deep an area is. It is also a great benefit to archaeologists as it means that they can dramatically reduce digging time and can scan larger areas for artefacts, whilst protecting the landscape and objects of value or historical importance. However, the radar signal is limited by the electrical conductivity of the composite of the ground. The deeper you go, the more likely you are to find that the signal is dissipated into a heat source, which in turn reduces the strength of the signal.

Remote Sensing

Another way that experts can carefully examine large areas of the landscape for areas of significance is by using remote sensing. Satellite imagery can be used to locate and explore important areas of the land all across the globe. These images can create a visual guide to help archaeologists to plot and plan where to dig next. This greatly reduces the overall dig time and is a more efficient way of sourcing possible dig sites. What's more, experts can use aerial photography to document stages of a dig by using ultraviolet, infrared and thermography.

Metal Detectors

Interestingly metal detectors are now supplied on mass to the general public; encouraging amateur archaeologists to refine their passion. However, these effective tools are still widely used by experts to detect metal elements and artefacts below ground, such as sections of a ship wreck or spearheads and other metal weapons from a Civil War battlefield. Yet, these detectors do not offer a high level of accuracy and often detect metal objects which are not of historical importance, as the land is littered with such objects.

These devices and methods are all important pieces of equipment in the eyes of an archaeological expert. Although some lack complete accuracy, when combined, a range of methods such as this can dramatically reduce anomalies occurring during a dig; thus cutting costs and improving the success rate of research.

Editor's Note: Stuart Edge is a writer who has a keen interest in technology. He is amazed at how new technology such as ground penetrating radar and remote sensing can be used in archaeology to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the digging process.

Image Credit: Wikipedia