Archeology & Chocolate Chip Cookie Excavation

By SHANNON CARR
Museum Assistant

To understand archaeology, we first need to understand anthropology. Anthropology is broadly defined as the study of all human cultures.

However, anthropology is often broken up into four specific subgroups: archaeology, cultural anthropology, physical anthropology and linguistics. These four groups are focused on different aspects of anthropology but are all centered on the same aim: to uncover, preserve and learn as much as possible about our ancestors and their cultures.

Anthropology is the study of all human cultures -- and archeology helps us learn about those cultures by discovering the material remains they left behind.

What is Archaeology?

Archaeology, though a part of anthropology, has its own interesting and complex purpose: to learn about cultures from the past by discovering the material remains they left behind. Those remains are called artifacts and are studied later to give us clues about the culture that used them.

To uncover these remains, archaeologists must perform very thorough excavations. They must be very careful while excavating so that they do not miss or damage any artifacts that may be hidden in the dig site. To aid in this, archaeologists often work in very small areas that they have sectioned out into grids or quadrants. When an artifact is discovered, the archaeologist uses the locations of their grid to map the artifact. This helps them remember where the artifact was located in relation to the excavation site and other artifacts.

Members of the Fort Bend Archeological Society excavate artifacts using a grid in December 2019.

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Excavation Activity

Do you think you have what it takes to be an archaeologist? Try your hand at a mock excavation by collecting and recording “artifacts” from a cookie with the activity below. Make sure to record everything before snacking!

Materials:

• Cookie
• 2 Toothpicks
• Grid Activity Sheet (Click here to download as a PDF)

Instructions:
Note: For the purpose of this activity, the cookie is your "site" and the chocolate chips are your "artifacts."

1. Place your cookie on Grid A.
2. Draw the cookie, with all of the visible artifacts (chocolate chips) included, on Grid B. This will be your record for the excavation site.
3. Excavate the cookie with your toothpicks by chipping away at the dirt to reveal any hidden "artifacts." (Try not to pick up the cookie since you cannot pick up an excavation site!)
4. Draw every artifact you find within your site onto your excavation map in Grid B.
5. At the end you should have a pile of back dirt (cookie crumbs) and artifacts (chocolate chips).
6. Now you get to eat the cookie. Enjoy!