Why does archeological items / sites are buried under the ground?

Question

this is for my homework.

Answer 1

Depends on the site - but almost always because of an act of nature - examples:  volcanic ash, water, shifting sand, dust storms, etc.  Good question!

Answer 2

I see that no one mentioned that a series of settlements can be piled on top of the original. Then if the site is later abandoned, the bottom most settlements are effectively buried.

Answer 3

Many sites (and often those best preserved) are located near a lake or river.  Sedimentation occurs readily at these sites.  The artifacts are covered by mu and soil and are this preserved from being scattered or weathered.  All sites are not covered, those that are not are subjected to scavengers which move bones around so they are difficult if not impossible to reconnect.  Wind, rain, flooding, sand, etc. will damage and destroy artifacts left on the surface.  Therefore the answer is not that all archaeological sites are buried but that those that ARE covered have the best chance of preservation.

Answer 4

The other posters are right, definitely, about flood plains and that buried sites are usually in better shape.  There's also plow action.  Out here in the eastern US, most times we have to backhoe off a good foot of dirt to get to undisturbed soil.  Since plows really muck things up, that's the only way we'll see features, those dark stains in the ground that show us where hearths and storage pits were.

Answer 5

Sh*t rolls down hill.

Stuff is sometimes at the bottom of the hill.

Thus things get buried.