Extended Learning

A. Introduction

You have worked through every requirement of the Archaeology merit badge — congratulations! You have learned to think like an archaeologist: asking questions, reading the evidence, and understanding why context matters more than any single artifact. But this is just the beginning. The world is full of sites to explore, stories to uncover, and skills to sharpen. Here is where to go next.

B. Deep Dive: How Technology Is Changing Archaeology

Modern archaeology looks nothing like it did even 20 years ago. New technologies are transforming how archaeologists find, study, and share sites — often without digging at all.

LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) fires millions of laser pulses from an aircraft or drone toward the ground. The reflected light creates an incredibly detailed 3D map of the terrain, even under dense forest canopy. LiDAR has revealed entire lost cities in Central America, Southeast Asia, and Africa that were completely invisible from the ground. In 2018, a LiDAR survey of northern Guatemala revealed more than 60,000 previously unknown Maya structures — pyramids, causeways, irrigation canals, and defensive walls — hidden beneath jungle for over a thousand years.

Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) sends radio waves into the soil and measures the reflections. Different materials (stone, metal, empty space, packed earth) reflect signals differently, creating a subsurface map without any digging. GPR has been used to locate buried walls, graves, storage pits, and even old roads. In 2020, archaeologists used GPR to discover an entire Roman town — Falerii Novi, near Rome — without excavating a single square meter.

Photogrammetry and 3D Scanning create precise digital models of artifacts and sites. An archaeologist can photograph an object from dozens of angles, and software stitches those photos into a 3D model that can be rotated, measured, and shared online. Museums are using this technology to make their collections accessible to anyone with an internet connection.

Ancient DNA (aDNA) Analysis extracts and sequences DNA from bones, teeth, and even ancient soil. This has revolutionized our understanding of human migration, family structures, and disease. DNA from a 40,000-year-old finger bone discovered in Denisova Cave, Siberia, revealed an entirely unknown branch of the human family tree — the Denisovans — who had never been identified from bones alone.

Satellite Imagery allows archaeologists to search for sites across vast landscapes from their desks. Changes in vegetation, soil color, and terrain visible from space can indicate buried structures. The archaeologist Sarah Parcak, sometimes called a “space archaeologist,” has used satellite data to identify thousands of potential sites in Egypt, including lost pyramids.

C. Deep Dive: Ethical Debates in Modern Archaeology

Archaeology is not just about science — it also involves difficult ethical questions that the field continues to wrestle with. Understanding these debates will deepen your appreciation for the responsibilities that come with studying the past.

Repatriation is one of the most important issues. For over a century, museums and universities in the United States and Europe collected human remains, sacred objects, and cultural items from Indigenous communities — often without consent. NAGPRA (the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) requires the return of these items to affiliated tribes, but the process is ongoing and sometimes contentious. Archaeologists today work hard to build collaborative relationships with descendant communities, recognizing that the people connected to these objects have a fundamental right to decide what happens to them.

Who tells the story? Historically, archaeology was dominated by Western, predominantly white, male researchers who interpreted other cultures through their own cultural lens. This led to biases — like the refusal to believe that Great Zimbabwe was built by Africans, or the tendency to describe Indigenous technologies as “primitive.” Modern archaeology actively works to include diverse voices, train archaeologists from underrepresented communities, and ensure that the people whose ancestors created the sites have a say in how they are studied and presented.

Preservation vs. development is a constant tension. When a new hospital, highway, or housing development threatens an archaeological site, communities must weigh the benefits of construction against the irreplaceable value of the heritage that would be destroyed. There are no easy answers, and CRM archaeologists often find themselves at the center of these negotiations.

The antiquities market fuels looting worldwide. As long as collectors are willing to pay high prices for ancient objects, looters will destroy sites to supply that demand. Every artifact purchased without documentation of its legal origin potentially represents a destroyed archaeological site and a lost piece of human history.

D. Deep Dive: Archaeology You Can Do Right Now

You do not need to wait for a dig opportunity to practice archaeological thinking. Here are ways to sharpen your skills using the world around you.

Survey your neighborhood. Walk through your neighborhood with an archaeologist’s eye. Look at buildings and structures: how old are they? What materials were used? Can you identify different construction phases where additions or repairs were made in different styles? Old foundations, abandoned wells, stone walls, and even changes in vegetation can all be clues to past land use.

Read old maps. Historical maps of your area are often available at the library or online through the Library of Congress. Compare a map from 100 or 150 years ago to a current map of the same area. What has changed? Where did roads move? What buildings are gone? Where might archaeological evidence of those old structures still exist underground?

Interview older community members. Oral history is a valuable complement to archaeological evidence. Older residents may remember buildings, businesses, or events that left physical traces in your community. Their stories can guide you to interesting places and give context to what you might find.

Start a field journal. Archaeologists document everything. Start a notebook where you record observations — interesting old buildings, local landmarks, natural features, and anything else that catches your eye. Practice sketching, noting locations, and writing detailed descriptions. This discipline will serve you well if you pursue archaeology further.

E. Real-World Experiences

F. Organizations