The generally accepted idea of the work of archaeologists is that a man with a shovel and a brush stubbornly digs into the ground. Indeed, each archaeologist, working on a specific object, "cultivates" a huge amount of land, but modern archeology effectively uses the achievements of the modern world.
Scientists are especially active in using the chemical and isotopic method of researching finds. An example of processing archaeological materials is working with oval copper ingots weighing about 13-18 kg, found in Veliky Novgorod in 2003. The rarity of the event is that such ingots were made in European countries, and not in Russia. Scientists know that copper came to Russian territory from abroad in the form of scrap, and the finds were full-fledged ingots. The result of the spectrometric study of the metal was an almost exact determination of the place of ore extraction for these ingots: isotope analysis indicated the East Alpine origin of the raw materials for metal smelting. Thanks to such research, it was possible to understand what kind of raw materials were brought to Russian cities, as well as to obtain additional information about the economic ties between European countries and Russia.
Also, the analysis of the remains from the ancient burials of Yaroslavl showed that if the city dwellers ate both plant and animal food, then the peasants, mainly grown by themselves, plants.
In the 20th century, archaeologists invented a new method of conducting research. This method has already been recognized by experts as the most elegant and unique, allowing you to accurately determine the age of a tree found during excavations. This method is called the wooden scale. Its essence is that scientists have created a kind of wooden test scale. It was created taking into account very long-term observations, for the dependence of the thickness of tree trunks on climatic factors: illumination, humidity, temperature, etc. This scale allows you to very accurately determine the age of the log, the date of construction of the object, the time when the pavements were rebuilt in ancient excavations.
The method of aerial photography has been known for a long time. At the beginning of the 20th century, in the desert area of Karakalpakia, archaeologists, it was by shooting from above that they managed to find fortresses built during the existence of Ancient Khorezm. It was a very powerful and developed culture, information about which has been preserved in numerous written sources. Due to the huge number of finds, the excavation lasted more than fifty years!
Thanks to aerial photography at the famous Stonehenge, scientists were able to discover and study new details of the monument. Today archaeologists are very actively using satellite images for their searches. However, it is too early to write off aerial photographs, thanks to them archaeologists continue to make unique discoveries. These include the found seventeen new objects near Stonehenge. The second significant find made thanks to aerial photography was the Byzantine Nicaea found near Istanbul. The photographs showed that under the waters of Lake Iznik lies the foundation of an ancient 5th century basilica.
Today, drones have become common equipment for archaeologists, which perfectly record vertical excavations.
During any excavation, scientists receive a mass of so-called biological material: wood, bones, animal remains, etc. Often their research brings a lot of surprises. For example, in 2003, during excavations on the territory of Veliky Novgorod, a monkey's skull was found. At first they thought that this animal belonged to one of the officers of the Spanish "Blue Division", which fought on the side of the Nazis. However, after various studies, it was radiocarbon analysis that confirmed that this skull was about a thousand years old and was entertained by the monkey of the Novgorod prince in the eleventh century, and not by Spanish volunteers.
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As many genetic procedures have become cheaper, they are increasingly being used by archaeologists. Now their interest is to find out as accurately as possible what diseases overcame our ancestors?
Also, scientists were able to compare the genes of modern humans and Neanderthals. And a lot of interesting things turned out: the genes of an ancient man have a higher expression than that of our contemporary.
In recent years, archaeologists have become very active in exploring underwater spaces. It would seem that Novgorod has already been dug from top to bottom, but no, the excavation of the river bottom brings unexpected surprises. It turns out that the Volkhov River, on the banks of which Novgorod is located, never freezes. And on the bridge connecting the shores, in ancient times, a very active life was in full swing: here they traded, begged, got acquainted, fished … As a result, an interesting cultural layer was formed under the water. Archaeologists-divers have a hard time: work at the bottom is carried out practically lying down, so it is necessary to show miracles of dexterity. Used in searches underwater and sonar. With the help of sonar, a unique discovery was made in 2014 - the ship "Eresus" was found, which was part of the squadron of Admiral Franklin. A famous sailor in the 19th century was looking for a way out of the Pacific Ocean into the Atlantic Ocean, but the expedition, for some unknown reason, disappeared.
In addition to specialists, archaeological finds are also discovered by ordinary amateurs. So an ordinary inhabitant of Devonshire, with the help of a metal detector, found a treasure consisting of 22 thousand coins of Ancient Rome! The date of manufacture of the coins is the period between 260-340 BC. It is possible that this money was intended for distribution to the Roman legionaries as a salary.
With the help of new technologies in Nepal, it was possible to discover a Buddhist temple of the 4th century BC, in which, according to legend, Buddha was born.
The listed finds are a small drop in the sea of discoveries made by archaeologists. But for the fact that their work makes it possible to study the history of mankind, at least partially, to reconstruct the historical processes that have passed a long time ago and to confirm the expressed versions with facts - a low bow to these hardworking, enthusiastic people.