Materials science and artefacts Modern archaeology not only examines the form and decoration of a piece of pottery, a stone tool or an item of metalwork, it also looks at how it was made, what it was made of and where the materials might have come from, as well as how it was used. Metallurgical studies make it possible to unravel the techniques used in manufacture, the technology that was available, the sequence of processes and the precise mixtures of metals included in alloys. The edges of stone tools can be examined for traces of wear on their edges which can help us to understand the function of the tool. The work of a conservator can be thought of as the micro-excavation of an object from an archaeological site, exploring its structure and often revealing new and exciting information about it. At the same time, conservators aim to preserve objects for future study and museum display.
Effective conservation relies upon a close combination of theory and practical skills.
The theory is based on the structure and properties of materials, and the way in which they interact with their environment, together with a knowledge of ancient technology. Whilst many archaeological sites are still found by accident, the largest number of new sites comes these days from the careful examination of aerial photographs. Plotting and analysing such photographs is an important area of activity and a whole new range of computer-based analytical techniques is starting to be applied. Once the sites have been discovered, then a great deal may be discovered about them even before excavation, using a variety of geophysical and geochemical techniques. These techniques, originating mostly in the oil and mineral prospection industry, have needed special adaptation for archaeology, but are now very widely used.