Have you ever stopped to wonder about the people who may have trod the land beneath you in a foregone age? It's a fascinating thought, and one that may be at the front of your mind as you think about improving an area of land that you own. You may be about to build a home, but would really like to see if anything truly interesting is buried beneath the ground. Much is still unknown about the people who used to live in Australia over the centuries, and it would be fantastic to see if you can find some evidence to literally uncover some secrets. While you are planning the build of your home, what do you need to bear in mind when looking for interesting artefacts?
How to Start
If you have a little time on your side and are not pressed to get the construction going quickly, get hold of a special excavator and remove the top layers of soil on your site. This type of excavator is equipped with a special bucket that is designed to turn over quite large quantities of soil rather quickly. This will enable you to get to levels that should be of better archaeological significance. In other words, you want to get rid of any foundations from a former building so that you can find out what lies beneath.
Extra Pair of Eyes
It is still possible, however, that something interesting could be found at this initial phase of the work. It's best if you can get a skilled archaeologist to come and have a look at this operation, just in case something is turned up. It's possible that the excavator operator won't really know what to look for, and the standby expert can jump in for a quick analysis, if needed.
Getting down to It
The next phase is a lot more detailed, and with the machine removed, you will need a number of enthusiastic individuals to continue looking by hand. At this stage, you can use a hand trowel or a flat-edged pick and go through each segment of soil carefully. You can cordon off each area so that you are not going over the same area twice, and it's best to work intensively, digging down to a set distance before you go on to an adjoining portion. If you have a routine in place and a happy band of enthusiastic people, it's amazing how much progress you can make.
Precision
From time to time, you may come across something that seems to be particularly interesting. At this point, you will need to slow down your work even more and investigate the item with brushes, smaller tools and other precision instruments. If you really want to be thorough, have another pass through the material that is being removed by filtering it through a sieve.
Final Thoughts
It's always best to ask your consultant archaeologist about anything particularly interesting you may find, but finally, don't forget to stockpile the soil that you excavated carefully so you can use it when you get back to your home construction.
Share19 May 2017
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