Archaeologists use geographic information systems (GIS) to better understand archaeological sites and how ancient peoples interacted with the landscape. GIS allows archaeologists to precisely map excavation findings, reconstruct structures, and analyze settlement patterns at both small and large scales. This helps archaeologists interpret the significance of sites and features, and can aid in discovering new archaeological locations.

1. How Archaeologists use GIS

2. What is Archaeology? ar-chae-ol-o-gy or ar-che-ol-o-gy: 1 archaic: ancient history 2 : the scientific study of extinct peoples or of past phases of the culture of historic peoples through skeletal remains, fossils, and objects of human workmanship (as implements, artifacts, monuments, or inscriptions) found in the earth 3 : remains of the culture of a people ar-chae-ol-o-gist or ar-che-ol-o-gist: specialist in archaeology (abstracted from Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged. G.& C. Merriam Company, Publishers. Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S.A. 1976. p. 111.) But contrary to popular belief... We don't do dinosaurs, or aliens We don't go around like Lara Croft or Indiana Jones We usually take more than 3 days over a dig

3. Archaeologists use GIS to tell us more about what we're digging up © Oxford Archaeological Unit

4. Prehistoric Roundhouses look like this when we reconstruct them © Blogdroed

5. but they look like this in the ground © Oxford Archaeological Unit

6. GIS helps us see them more clearly © Oxford Archaeological Unit

7. We use it to survey what we find- even in the most challenging of landscapes! © Oxford Archaeological Unit

8. ...then we use GIS on a wider scale to show how people interacted with their landscape © Oxford Archaeological Unit

9. Is it significant that people used the land in this way? © Oxford Archaeological Unit

10. Can we use this information to help find other sites? © Oxford Archaeological Unit

11. In summary- we use GIS at small scale to tell us about an individual house, through to large scale, helping us to understand and manage whole landscapes © English Heritage

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