Archaeological sites are an important source of our history. They can be considered as museums which convey a good deal of information about the people who inhabited the place years ago. These sites give us information on the inhabitants of the place, age of the site and lifestyle of the people who lived there. While some archaeological sites date back to a few centuries, there are some such as the Harappa-Mohenjodaro site in the Indus Valley in Asia dates back to 5000 BC.
When you visit an archaeological site, it is necessary that you know the history of the place. It is difficult to appreciate the culture of the people living there without knowing their history. A brief search on the Internet or reading a book can be helpful.
You should also hire the services of a guide who can give you information about each and every artifact at the archaeological site. These guides have traditional knowledge and are also in touch with researchers who are engaged in understanding the site properly. They are the source of most accurate and updated information that you can get at the place. Carrying a map of the site is also very helpful as you will not miss out any section of the site if you have a map with you.
Many travel agencies arrange tours to important archaeological sites across the world. These tours take care of your travel, accommodation, food and even guided tours to the site. While these arranged tours provide you convenience, the freedom to explore a site at will is lost in these tours. Hence many people like to visit archaeological sites on their own.
Some of the important archaeological sites across the globe are given here and here. Each archaeological site has its own specialty. The artifacts left by the people living there are different for different sites. Following are the artifacts found at some of the most common archaeological sites:
Remember each artifact found at an archaeological site, the deposition of the soil on it and its positioning relative to other artifacts shows us how people in that era lived. Researchers use these artifacts to understand the site and hence it is very necessary that we do not vandalize the site during our visit. When you visit an archaeological site, ensue that you maintain site etiquette.