JOAN CARTAN-HANSEN, HOST: Archaeology is the study of people and artifacts from the past.

Sometimes it's about the recent past and sometimes archaeologists study things and people from long, long ago.

[MUSIC] [EERIE MUSIC] STUDENT: Wow, was this really a person?

CARTAN-HANSEN: Yes, this is a mummy.

STUDENT: A Mommy?

CARTAN-HANSEN: No, a mummy.

A mummy is the dead body of a person or animal that has been preserved.

This one comes from Egypt.

STUDENT: Who found it?

CARTAN-HANSEN: An archeologist and his or her team.

It's the science of archaeology.

STUDENT: What's archaeology?

CARTAN-HANSEN: Well, let's ask one of the world's leading archaeologists, Doctor Zahi Hawass.

CARTAN-HANSEN: Archaeologists are history detectives.

They start by learning what we do know about whatever society or area they are investigating.

And then they find a site.

CARTAN-HANSEN: In situ means the artifact is photographed where they found it, before they dig it up.

Sometimes archaeologists find small things like pieces of pottery.

For Dr. Hawass, sometimes the finds are larger.

CARTAN-HANSEN: A sarcophagus is a fancy stone box that was used to hold a coffin.

The mummy is the body of the deceased person whose body was treated and wraped in linen.

When they found king tutakaham tomb, they found thousands of other items like chairs or knives.

Why did ancient Egyptians do this?

CARTAN-HANSEN: Archaeologists don't just look for big things like mummies.

They also look for things like animal bones, seeds and soil samples.

These things also help them understand what the world was like back then.

All of the artifacts are recorded, measured, cataloged and preserved.

And not every archeological dig goes back to ancient times.

Archaeologists in Hawaii are investigating sites that were used during World War II.

Scientists also study artifacts left behind in the Civil War to help them understand how different battles were fought.

Some archaeologists study objects under the ocean and some archeologists even go through modern day dumps to learn more about more recent times.

Today's archaeologists have some pretty advanced tools, so science can help tell part of the story.

CARTAN-HANSEN: All this technology helps scientists unravel even more information about the past.

But sometimes, archaeologists just have to get their hands dirty.

CARTAN-HANSEN: So, why do archaeologists study the past?

Because we learn from our past.

Where did people live?

Why did they move or die out?

How did they interact with the environment?

The past is something we all share, and archaeologists help us discover it.

STUDENT: That's great.

I'd like to be an archaeologist someday.

CARTAN-HANSEN: You don't have to wait!

Volunteer on a dig, check with your local museum, or university, but you can start right now by learning more about ancient cultures and how people once lived.

STUDENT: Okay!

CARTAN-HANSEN: Hey, wait for me!

STUDENT: Come on.keep up!

CARTAN-HANSEN: If you want to learn more about archaeology, check out the Science Trek website.

You'll find it at ScienceTrek.org.

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