During the Year Eleven Preliminary Course in Ancient History (NSW BOS Syllabus) the students are given an introduction to archaeological technique. Topics include aerial photography, crop marks, dendrochronology, underwater archaeology, managing a dig, carbon dating and so on. There are a number of useful web sites available for students to access. Two sites include Past Perfect and Background On Archaeological Methods. Each site is quite different but useful in its own way.

Past Perfect examines the archaeology of Durham and Northumberland with photographs of digs, artefacts and the region. It incorporates rendered and VRML reconstructions of the sites. It provides valuable insights into the lives of the original inhabitants, building methods and climate change. In addition Past Perfect has a section dedicated to the techniques of the archaeologist. There is a wealth of material to explore within the site. In terms of classroom activities students could explore the site as groups and publish their own findings on nominated sections of the site.

The site, Background On Archaeological Methods is a straightforward site that sets out in plain English the key components of archaeology. It can act as a quick introduction to archaeology for students and the general public alike. Topics covered include site grids, dating, stratigraphy, artefact recovery and record keeping. 

Additional web sites focused upon the techniques of the archaeologist can be found linked to from this dedicated web page.