These are some of the questions archaeologists ask. Throughout the world, the period of written history is very brief. There are many thousands of years for which there is no written record. Kodiak, for example, has been inhabited for more than 7,500 years, but you can only read about the past 200 years. For many long periods of human history, archaeological sites are the only source of information.
Archaeological sites are like library books.
They are accumulations of historical information and each holds a unique story. Recreational digging is enormously destructive because much of the information stored in a site is lost when excavation proceeds unscientifically. Artifacts are removed from their location in a site and delicate materials are destroyed. Moreover, artifacts taken for private collections are lost to history. The information they contain cannot be shared with Native people, the scientific community, or the public.