The principle of initiation to excavation is based on a simple idea: have apprentice archaeologists carry out an archaeological dig on a fake archaeological site with real tools and real archaeological methods. The excavation site is laid out over a given surface and depth depending on the duration of the project and its educational objectives. This land is composed of an archaeological layer which corresponds to a prehistoric or historical period. We place a certain number of objects and vestiges there with the aim of presenting the essential traces left to us by this period (housing, hearth, tools, domestic waste, etc.). It is a privileged tool for children: it makes it possible to achieve a certain number of knowledge objectives in a fun way, but also know-how objectives (acquisition of methods specific to the scientific approach: observing, describing, analyzing , representing, etc.) and interpersonal skills (teamwork, collaborating, sharing, etc.). By its interdisciplinary side (we observe, we write, we draw, we use our hands, we do mathematics, history, natural sciences, biology, etc.) the child, and especially the one who finds himself with learning difficulties, can practice their skills. The excavation is followed by several workshops aimed at studying and interpreting the material found in the field.
General educational objectives:
- Understand the history of objects that tells the story of Man, from the excavation site to the museum through an introduction to archaeological excavation and the scientific process.
- Raise awareness of the archaeological and historical heritage of Paris
- Discover the scientific approach
- Transversal mobilization of school knowledge (drawing, mathematics, French, history-geography, science, etc.).
- Develop transversal skills: critical thinking, cooperation, observation ...
- Discover the profession of the archaeologist: training; work methods ; specialties ...
The sessions and the process:
Through the excavation, the young people will learn to use and compare the information brought by the unearthed elements and their knowledge to draw conclusions like a puzzle that one tries to reconstruct on the basis of a few clues; they will also discover how knowledge is constructed. Archeology is a fundamental activity. By its interdisciplinary side (we observe, we write, we draw, we use our hands, we do mathematics, history, natural sciences, biology, etc.) the child, and especially to those who finds himself in difficulty at school, can practice his skills. The search offers the child a means of expression by allowing him to go through the sensitive, by awakening his curiosity and his imagination.
The archaeological excavation with the following modules:
Initiation to archaeological excavation and especially to the scientific approach.
Even if the Middle Ages belong to historical periods, many data come from the excavation because the archives can not fully inform the historian.
1 - Search (find the clues)
- List of objects and dismantling (record clues)
- Washing, cleaning, marking (formatting of indices)
- Sorting and reassembly (reconstruct the objects)
2 - Post-excavation work with the following modules:
- Analysis (making objects speak)
- Publication (carry out written work)
- Exhibition (present the objects and the work carried out)
All the activities and work situations are designed to help students acquire skills: learning, finding their way around, decoding; express themselves, communicate; realize ; to search;
| Session 1 | Session 2 | Session 3 | Session 4 | Session 5 |
| History of archeology: Archeology is a human science: The ancestors of archaeologists; the 19th century excavations; modern archeology | Initiation to excavation: Perform the search: clear the objects, remove a layer of soil, pay attention to the objects, leave them in place, etc. | Initiation to excavation: Take measurements and readings: use the reading sheet, use meters and decameters, report the results, etc. | Initiation to excavation: Disassembly: remove the items after numbering them. | Workshop : Proceed to the treatment of objects: clean objects according to the material, mark objects, reconstruct them, etc. |
| Session 6 | Session 7 | Session 8 | Session 9 | Session 10 |
| Workshop : Restitution: the excavation site is reconstituted on a millimeter tracing sheet using the records. | Workshop : Analysis: objects and different information are linked together ... | Workshop : Interpretation: the history of the site is reconstructed according to several working hypotheses ... | Workshop : Display: all the remains and information are put together to be presented to parents and other classes. | Visit : Outing to discover an excavation site or an archaeological site. |
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