Artifacts

Pottery, tools, coins, jewelry, weapons, textiles, inscriptions, and everyday objects.

Visual learning: These pages use real Wikimedia Commons excavation, ruins, artifact, and underwater archaeology imagery.
Archaeological Excavation
Archaeological ExcavationExcavations remove soil slowly while recording exact context and layers.
Pompeii Ruins
Pompeii RuinsAncient ruins preserve architecture, streets, objects, and evidence of daily life.
Rosetta Stone
Rosetta StoneArtifacts can transform historical understanding when inscriptions can be translated.
Underwater Archaeology
Underwater ArchaeologyDivers and remote systems document submerged sites such as shipwrecks and ports.

Pottery

Explore the key ideas behind pottery.

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Tools

Explore the key ideas behind tools.

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Coins

Explore the key ideas behind coins.

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Jewelry

Explore the key ideas behind jewelry.

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Weapons

Explore the key ideas behind weapons.

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Textiles

Explore the key ideas behind textiles.

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Inscriptions

Explore the key ideas behind inscriptions.

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Everyday Objects

Explore the key ideas behind everyday objects.

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Pottery

Pottery gives archaeologists evidence about people who lived in the past. Researchers document location, layers, materials, damage, associated objects, and environmental context before drawing conclusions. An artifact by itself can be interesting, but its exact location and relationship to other finds often provide the most useful information. Archaeology also depends on conservation, ethics, local laws, collaboration with descendant communities, and careful scientific recording.

Tools

Tools gives archaeologists evidence about people who lived in the past. Researchers document location, layers, materials, damage, associated objects, and environmental context before drawing conclusions. An artifact by itself can be interesting, but its exact location and relationship to other finds often provide the most useful information. Archaeology also depends on conservation, ethics, local laws, collaboration with descendant communities, and careful scientific recording.

Coins

Coins gives archaeologists evidence about people who lived in the past. Researchers document location, layers, materials, damage, associated objects, and environmental context before drawing conclusions. An artifact by itself can be interesting, but its exact location and relationship to other finds often provide the most useful information. Archaeology also depends on conservation, ethics, local laws, collaboration with descendant communities, and careful scientific recording.

Jewelry

Jewelry gives archaeologists evidence about people who lived in the past. Researchers document location, layers, materials, damage, associated objects, and environmental context before drawing conclusions. An artifact by itself can be interesting, but its exact location and relationship to other finds often provide the most useful information. Archaeology also depends on conservation, ethics, local laws, collaboration with descendant communities, and careful scientific recording.

Weapons

Weapons gives archaeologists evidence about people who lived in the past. Researchers document location, layers, materials, damage, associated objects, and environmental context before drawing conclusions. An artifact by itself can be interesting, but its exact location and relationship to other finds often provide the most useful information. Archaeology also depends on conservation, ethics, local laws, collaboration with descendant communities, and careful scientific recording.

Textiles

Textiles gives archaeologists evidence about people who lived in the past. Researchers document location, layers, materials, damage, associated objects, and environmental context before drawing conclusions. An artifact by itself can be interesting, but its exact location and relationship to other finds often provide the most useful information. Archaeology also depends on conservation, ethics, local laws, collaboration with descendant communities, and careful scientific recording.

Inscriptions

Inscriptions gives archaeologists evidence about people who lived in the past. Researchers document location, layers, materials, damage, associated objects, and environmental context before drawing conclusions. An artifact by itself can be interesting, but its exact location and relationship to other finds often provide the most useful information. Archaeology also depends on conservation, ethics, local laws, collaboration with descendant communities, and careful scientific recording.

Everyday Objects

Everyday Objects gives archaeologists evidence about people who lived in the past. Researchers document location, layers, materials, damage, associated objects, and environmental context before drawing conclusions. An artifact by itself can be interesting, but its exact location and relationship to other finds often provide the most useful information. Archaeology also depends on conservation, ethics, local laws, collaboration with descendant communities, and careful scientific recording.