| Location | What Survives | Artifacts |
| Bogs/Swamps/Marshes | Bogs tend to preserve everything very well; skin, hair, nails, pollen, plants, wood, animal remains (fur, skin, bones). Unfortunately if it is an acidic bog, like a peat bog, bones and shells get easily destroyed, but the skin still remains intact. | An excellent example of a bog discovery is the "Lindow Man." Discovered in Cheshire, England, in 1984, the body of a young man revealed that his cause of death was from violent blows to the head and a cut throat. Radiocarbon dating shows that he died sometime in 1st or 2nd Century CE. Similar remains were found in Grauballe and Tollund, Denmark, and it is believe that they were ritually sacrificed. Want to see a picture of a bog mummy? Go here. |
| Deserts | The hot, dry environment of the desert is ideal for the preservation of metals, bones, pottery, jewelry, hair, dried up food. While the desert environment can be harsh on some organic and metallic materials, like skin and iron, when they are exposed to the wind and heat, the same things buried can be almost completely preserved! | The best example of desert preservation that I can think of is Egypt. The many tombs and burials in Egypt, located in the north-east section of the Sahara Desert, have been discovered with many, many artifacts being well preserved. Click here to see some beautiful artifacts that were preserved by the desert. |
| Tundra/Ice | Similar to the desert environment, any artifact exposed to the harsh elements in this environment will not last long; however, sometimes things can be covered in ice, which preserves very well. Icy environments preserve bodies almost perfectly, keeping intact eyes, skin, hair, clothes, tools, food, etc. | The are two examples which stick out foremost in my mind of icy preservation. The most obvious and recent being the discovery of Ötzi, the Ice Man. If you want to see a picture of him, go here. Also, the Ice Maiden, found in Russia, was an exquisite find. She was unearthed on the steppes of eastern Russia in 1993, dressed in glorious finery -- fine-woven wool skirt, wild-silk blouse, an elaborate high-status headpiece, and jewelry of wonderful craftsmanship. To see some pictures of her, click here. |
| Underwater | While organic materials often decay or get easily destroyed on land, except in the rare cases above, they survive surprisingly well underwater. Wood, skin, bones, plants, animal, etc. survive as long as the fish and other marine life do not get to them first. Unfortunately, metals often deteriorate or become sealed in mineral deposits. Most often, ships are found underwater, for *DUH* obvious reasons. Sometimes there are also traces of ancient societies that were once cities on the coast.. hmm kinda like La Jolla and San Diego? Many buildings and ships are preserved well underwater because they are protected from biological decay. | Many Neolithic settlements in Europe were built by the shores of lakes and were later submerged. The buildings have been well protected from the decay that comes from being above water levels. A great underwater site was found at Alexandria, in northern Egypt, under the waters of the Mediterranean. Click here to see some pictures of Alexandria! |
| Humidity | Humidity doesn't preserve many things very well because the humid environment is excellent for breeding bacteria. What survives in tropical areas the most are temples or stone/rock buildings and monuments. Most organic materials do not survive, unless well wrapped up away from the humidity. Archaeology in tropical landscapes is one of the last explored frontiers. Only recently have archaeologists decided to venture there to learn more about the people who once lived near the equator. | Hmmm, this is a toughie.. check back and maybe I will have found something. I know that now excavations in the tropical and humid areas are being done, but I can't think of any that have already been done. |