8

Performance Task

Buried Treasures

  • Explore
  • Did You Know?

Choosing an Excavation Site

Choosing an Excavation Site

Archaeologists will choose one of three sites to excavate. Multiple surveys are used to determine whether each site appears likely to contain a significant number of ancient artifacts. The conclusions of the surveys are shown. Which site should the archaeologists choose? Create a presentation to convince the archaeologists to choose this site.

The site is partitioned into 9 square-shaped regions. In any given region, the probability of finding an artifact is about 45%. Draw and interpret a histogram of a probability distribution for this situation.


Table showing likely/unlikely tally counts for potential excavation sites A (11 likely, 5 unlikely), B (8 likely, 3 unlikely), and C (9 likely, 4 unlikely).

Did You Know?

  • The word archaeology comes from the Greek word arkhaios, meaning ancient.
  • Archaeology is the study of the human past using physical remains.
  • Movable remains such as tools, clothing, and pottery are usually called artifacts. Unmovable remains like pyramids are called features.
  • One of the most valuable archaeological finds is the tomb of the Egyptian Pharaoh King Tut. His undisturbed tomb was discovered in 1922 after thousands of years. The tomb contained over 5000 artifacts.

Find Out More — Search Topics

  • Archaeology
  • King Tut