Archaeologists make interpretations of how people lived in the past using the material remains they left behind. We can look at large structures, such as the buildings on a college campus, or the sidewalks that cut paths between the buildings – the immobile evidence of human activity called features. We can also look at the smaller, mobile objects that people have made and used – artifacts – such as the can of Coke someone threw in the trash can or the chair someone pulled out to sit down at a table. Mapping and interpreting the spatial relationships between artifacts and features within a site are important parts of doing archaeology. In this first Major Assignment, you will create a broad site map, a test unit map, and apply an archaeological mindset to interpret your maps.
