Archaeological Photos

Dan Arnitt, the project backhoe operator, has been working with archaeologists for many years. Dan custom made this wide bucket to maximize the area that the backhoe can scrape. The flat edge can strip off layers of dirt as little as one half inch thick at a time, and leave a clean, smooth surface as you see here. Archaeologists then identify features as stains in the clean surface. Dan's vantage point in his backhoe seat gives him the best view of the stripped area, and with his experience he is often the first person to identify features as they are revealed by stripping. Once a feature is identified, the archaeologists excavate it by hand.

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