Archaeologists study prehistoric life by analyzing artifacts and other material remains. They discover these remains at sites that vary in scale, duration of occupation, and cultural importance, among other factors.
Site classification typically involves analysis of the artifacts found there and the activities they represent. By studying the objects recovered, archaeologists can designate a site as belonging to a specific period. Finding Iron Age artifacts like tools and pottery, for example, would lead them to label it an Iron Age site. Ecofacts, or organic remains including animal, plant, and other biological materials, provide additional context.
Archaeologists also classify sites based on archaeological context. They label a site as a surface location if remains are on the present ground level with no buried layers. Conversely, they label a site as stratified if it contains artifacts arranged in distinct layers, or strata, underground, indicating sequences over time.
The geographical setting and natural environment influence the type of archaeological information a site contains. For example, open-air sites located in valleys or lakeshores can provide information about past settlements and resource use in those areas. Another type, cave sites, are those that contain evidence of shelter activities, rituals, and ancient artwork.
Habitation sites provide critical insight into where past civilizations lived and worked. These sites often contain artifacts that reflect domestic routines such as food production, storage, and preparation, as well as permanent dwellings, architecture, and evidence of social organization from communal structures.
Kill sites, meanwhile, are areas where prehistoric hunting occurred. At these locations, archaeologists frequently find bones from slain creatures, as well as discarded stone projectile points and butchering tools such as arrowheads and knives. The study of fragmented bone patterns has allowed archaeologists to reconstruct butchering methods used by ancient hunters. An abundance of animal remains and stone implements at some kill sites also suggests seasonal or year-round camps, occasionally featuring identifiable cooking fireplaces.
While kill sites feature animal remnants, burial sites are archeological locations with human remains. These sites, which include cemeteries and solitary tombs, show how ancient civilizations treated the deceased. Group burial sites often contain cultural clues about social hierarchy and religious practices, making them a priority excavation point for archeologists. Famous burial sites that have revealed such insights include the iconic Giza pyramids in Egypt and the temples and pyramids of Palenque in Mexico.
Mining and quarrying sites are also key archaeological locales, offering glimpses into past industrial activities. These sites contain evidence of resource extraction, such as mining pits, raw materials, and extraction tools. In addition to mining sites, locations near lithic sources containing high concentrations of prehistoric stone blades, cores, and tool manufacturing debris often signify former workshop hubs where tool production was centralized. Careful analysis of artifact patterning in these sites allows archaeologists to distinguish settlement types linked to prehistoric livelihoods.
Trading centers contain evidence of a location's economic exchange, such as trade tokens, storage containers, and luxury/exotic goods from distant regions. Examples of such sites include Teotihuacan, near Mexico City, once inhabited by merchants involved in long-distance Mesoamerican trade, and Lothal in the Indus Valley, once a central port city for regional exchange.
