ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Salvage archaeology

Have you ever lost something and then tried to find it again? Archaeologists do the same thing, but instead of finding toys or keys, they look for things that people used a long time ago. Sometimes, people lose or throw away things that are very old, and archaeologists can find them by digging in the ground.

Salvage archaeology is like finding lost things, except that instead of looking for them just because they're lost, archaeologists dig up things because some kind of construction or development is going on in the area. For example, if someone wants to build a new road, archaeologists will first dig where the road will go to see if there are any important things from the past there.

These important things could be old buildings, tools, pottery, or even bones of animals. When they find these things, archaeologists can learn a lot about how people used to live a long time ago. By studying what they find, they can also figure out what kind of plants, animals, and other things were in the area back then. This can help us understand how people interacted with their environment, and how they changed it over time.

Salvage archaeology is an important way to make sure that we don't destroy important historical or cultural sites when we build new things. By finding and preserving these sites, we can learn more about our past and the people who lived before us.