Material life

Nothing is eternal. True, but some things are tougher than others! Objects decompose with time, and this is a reality with which archaeology always has to cope.

When an archaeologist uncovers a site, he rarely finds all the materials which were left behind by the people he is studying because, very often, most of the materials have decomposed.

Generally, organic materials (originally living tissues) decompose the fastest, especially in the acidic soils of the northern forests. This includes wood, reed, paper, any other type of vegetable fiber, leather, fur, bones, antlers etc. In very rare occasions, extreme or special settings have allowed very good conservation of tissues. These may be caused by very cold, very dry or even water-logged environments.

On the other hand, inorganic materials are generally more stable. For example, stone, ceramics, glass or plastics will be conserved with little deterioration in ordinary conditions. Metals are a little less stable because they rust (oxidize) faster than others. Iron can disappear rapidly, while gold will stay around for millennia.

Imagine your everyday surroundings, for example your bedroom, your classroom, your kitchen, your corner store... Examine the substances which make up the objects these places contain. Then, try to imagine what would be left after a 5 year period of total abandonment. Try and imagine the same situation, but over a period of 50, 100 or 500 years... Evaluate what information will be lost within each time span of abandonment, and imagine how and what an archaeologist of the future would be able to interpret with the material remains.