Colleen Boyle, M.P.S.

The Archaeology & Collections Branch collections storge area contains samples of soils taken from sites in Fairfax County. What exactly are soil samples, and how do archaeologists use them? Archaeologists employ many methods in the field to identify and understand an archaeological site. One technique is collecting a soil sample from specific locations across an area. Soil samples are used as a finer collection method so archaeologists can look more intensely at a small section of the total excavation. The contents of a soil sample can include traces of chemical compounds that reflect human activities including farming, waste disposal, and fire. They can also contain artifacts archaeologists use to understand site function and age. A recent artiFACTs post discussed glass beads that were found through this process.

Archaeologists carefully look through processed soil samples to find tiny artifacts like glass beads, straight pins, ceramics, lithic fragments, fish scales, lead shot and seeds that will get overlooked during field excavations due to their small size. An artifact like a straight pin can indicate that the soil sample was collected from a domestic site where these pins may have been used for clothing. Fish scales can be remnants of food that was prepared, eaten or disposed of within the site. Seeds can tell researchers what vegetation was planted in the area and sometimes can show signs of burning. Though these artifacts are small, they can contribute to a much larger story that may go untold without them.  

To read more about archaeological soil processing in Farifax County, please visit Whatever Floats your Artifacts.