When people say archaeology, most people think of buried treasure and Indiana Jones. Archaeology isn't about fame and danger, but about learning about people in the past.
Archaeologists try to learn who lived in the past, where they lived, what they ate, what they believed and the effect they had on their environment. Archaeologists learn this through looking at the physical remains left by these people. Artefacts, such as pottery, tools, weapons and jewellery, help archaeologists create a picture of the past. Buildings, evidence of farming and plant remains are also useful to understand how our ancestors lived.
Archaeologists only deal with the human past. Dinosaurs became extinct 65 million years ago and the earliest humans only begin to appear 2 million years ago, so archaeologists do not study dinosaurs. Instead they look at how humans lived from the beginning of the human race up until the 21st century.
