Why do archaeologists dig so carefully in such square holes?
An archaeological site can never be dug twice! Because in excavating a site, we actually destroy it, archaeologists must make meticulous records, photographs, and maps of everything that they excavate just as crime scene detectives are careful not to disturb anything from the scene of a crime before it has been photographed and recorded. Each square, or unit, is linked to a site grid in three dimensions that can be mapped to help site archaeologists, as well as other researchers, understand how all of the elements of physical evidence relate to each other. The flat walls and flat floors of square units also help archaeologists to see changes in soil color and texture that are traces of human activities on the site.
