Many people wonder how archaeologists excavate, and what tools they use. Well we’ll be showing you some of them here, and there may be a surprise or two!
Some of the tools are very basic and haven’t changed in generations. Others are highly technical and are upgraded almost every year! Perhaps the most technical we use on a daily basis is the Total Station. This is used by archaeologists to set out the site grid etc. It fires a beam of light into a prism or reflector which is bounced back to the station. It then calculates the distance, height and angles. All this data is stored until it is downloaded to our computer. It allows us to make both a 2D and 3D plan of the site, features such as ditches and all the finds that we make.
Dorstone Digs! 