(The questions in the paragraphs below are for the leader of the discussion to refer to only if important points are being missed.)

What is an archaeologist?

Archaeologists research the material remains of people; they look for evidence of the past by excavating ancient campsites, towns, sacred places, and burial grounds where people once lived, worked, held religious ceremonies, and were laid to rest. As they dig, archaeologists describe and measure the evidence that is uncovered. To make a permanent record of exactly where objects are found, they take detailed notes and photographs and make plans of the level on which they are digging. Archaeologists do this so that they can reconstruct the context of an object--that is, whether it was found in a house, a grave, a religious building, or a garbage dump and whether it was found by itself or with other objects. Keeping these detailed records is important because as the excavation proceeds, the upper levels are removed so that what lies below can be examined. If the archaeologists have done their job properly, it should be possible for someone else, even years later, to take their records and on paper re-excavate the site level by level.

What do archaeologists hope to do with the information and objects they discover?

As the excavators accumulate more and more evidence, they hope to form at least a partial picture of what life was like at the site. When the excavation is completed, it is the responsibility of archaeologists to publish the site plans, records, descriptions, and interpretations of what was found. By comparing this information with publications of excavations at similar sites, archaeologists and historians gain a better idea of the customs, beliefs, art, and economy of that particular civilization. Thus we all learn more about our ancestors and how they lived in many different parts of the world.

What is the difference between an archaeologist and a treasure hunter?

Although treasure hunters and archaeologists both remove objects from the ground (or the water), there are significant differences between them. A treasure hunter, obviously, searches for things that are collectible, such as arrowheads, or pieces with artistic value that might bring a high price on the art market, or objects with intrinsic value, such as gold and silver coins or jewelry made with precious metals and stones. The treasure hunter usually has no interest in the archaeological context of an object or in what the object might tell us about the people who made it. Because this information has no value to them, treasure hunters often toss aside or destroy architectural remains, broken objects, bones, textiles, pots, baskets, and mats.

Archaeologists, on the other hand, are interested in everything they find. A fragment of a loom, because of what it might tell of the technology of a culture, may be as important as a gold ring. Fragments of broken pottery (called sherds) are very important because earthenware pots usually were not used for a long period of time before they broke, and their shape and decoration changed as potters continued to make them. By noting the shape and decoration of the sherds found on each excavation level, archaeologists can set up a chronology of pottery development, and thus assign approximate dates to the other objects and buildings at the site and at other sites occupied by people of the same culture.