Archaeology is the study of past human cultures. Historic archaeologists study the Province's early European immigrants, such as the planters at Ferryland or Cupids. Unlike historians, who learn about the past through written records, or anthropologists, who study living cultures, archaeologists gather their information from artifacts and site features - the forgotten and discarded remains left behind by people. An artifact is any object that has been altered or used by humans. The computer you are sitting at is a modern artifact.
Archaeologists are interested in much older artifacts, from the prehistoric or historic past.
But, they don't study artifacts because they look pretty - most of what they find was garbage when it was dropped or thrown away centuries ago. Archaeologists study artifacts in order to understand and learn about the people who left the artifacts behind. Archaeologists distinguish between artifacts and site features. Artifacts are things that are portable, like stone tools, bones, pots, or bottles. Features are traces of humans that can't be moved, like fireplaces and firepits, house foundations, or wells.