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Archaeology

Scouts BSA · Merit Badge · STEM

Printable worksheet (PDF)

Archaeologists are detectives of the past, using clues left in the ground to learn how people lived long ago. This badge teaches you how sites are found, dated, and protected. You might even get to help with a real dig.

Why it's worth it

Archaeologists read the ground like a book. A broken pot, a buried fire pit, or an old bottle can tell you what people ate, how they traded, and how they lived hundreds or thousands of years ago. This badge teaches you how real digs work, how scientists date what they find, and why it matters to leave sites untouched. It can lead to public dig days, museum volunteering, and careers that mix science, history, and fieldwork.

Start this week

  1. Look around your room and pick five objects that would tell a future archaeologist the most about your life. Write down what each one says.
  2. Ask your Scoutmaster for the name of an Archaeology counselor, and send them a short message with a parent copied to set up a first meeting.
  3. Have a parent help you search for your state archaeologist's office, a state archaeology society, or a nearby university to see if they offer public dig days or archaeology month events.
  4. Start a notebook for the badge. Your first page can list the five sites for requirement 4 you're most curious about.

Stay safe

  • Excavation units can collapse and screens and trowels are sharp. Work only where the supervising archaeologist says, wear gloves and sun protection, and drink plenty of water in the field.

Requirements · 11

Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab) (updated 2025).

  1. Requirement 1

    Explain what archaeology is and how it compares with and connects to fields like anthropology, geology, paleontology, and history; explain how it differs from collecting artifacts or hunting for treasure

    Tip: Make a quick web of fields that connect to archaeology, like history, geology, and biology, and note how each helps.

  2. Requirement 2

    Describe each step of the archaeological process: finding a site, background research and research design, survey and fieldwork, identifying and examining artifacts, interpretation, preservation, and sharing results

    Tip: Draw the steps as a simple flow chart, from finding a site to sharing results.

    For example: Draw the process as a flow chart: research old maps and records, survey the land, test with small pits, excavate in a grid, record every layer and find, clean and catalog in the lab, analyze, and publish or share with the public.

  3. Requirement 3

    Describe two or more ways archaeologists figure out how old sites, structures, or artifacts are, and explain absolute versus relative dating

    Tip: Compare how scientists use layers of soil and lab tests to tell how old something is. A layered cake or sandwich makes a fun model.

    For example: Explain two dating methods: relative dating, where deeper soil layers are usually older, and radiocarbon dating, which measures carbon in once-living things like charcoal or bone. A layered sandwich with a coin pressed into one layer makes a good demo.

  4. Requirement 4

    Learn about five archaeological sites in total, some in the U.S. and some in other countries

    Tip: Choose a mix of sites that interest you, such as ancient cities or local historic places. A map with pins helps you share them.

    For example: A mix could be Mesa Verde in Colorado, Cahokia Mounds in Illinois, Jamestown in Virginia, Pompeii in Italy, and Machu Picchu in Peru. For each, note who lived there, when, and one discovery that changed what we know.

    1. Requirement 4a

      For every site: show it on a map, explain how archaeologists found out about it, describe what it revealed about the past, how that answers archaeologists' questions and matters today, and compare the sites' relative ages

    2. Requirement 4b

      Give a short presentation on one of your sites to a Cub Scout pack, your troop, your class, or another group

  5. Requirement 5

    Laws and organizations that protect sites

    Tips for this section: Look up the laws that protect sites on public land and an organization that works to preserve them.

    1. Requirement 5a

      Learn which federal laws and international agreements protect archaeological sites, and find out whether your state, county, or town has rules for archaeological or historic sites

    2. Requirement 5b

      Name a local, national, or international organization that helps protect archaeological sites

  6. Requirement 6

    Protecting the past

    Tips for this section: If you ever find an artifact, leave it where it is, take a photo, note the location, and tell the landowner or a park ranger.

    Example for this section: If you find an arrowhead on a hike, the right move is to leave it in place, photograph it with something for scale, note the location, and report it to the land manager or ranger. Explain why moving it destroys the clues around it.

    1. Requirement 6a

      Explain why archaeological sites need protecting

    2. Requirement 6b

      Explain what to do if you think you've found an artifact

    3. Requirement 6c

      Describe ways you can help protect the past

  7. Requirement 7

    Artifacts up close. Choose 1 of 3

    Tips for this section: A trash study is surprisingly fun. Look at what your family throws away in a week and think about what it says about how you live.

    Example for this section: For a trash study, list everything your household throws away for one week, trash and recycling alike, sorted into categories with counts. Then write what a future archaeologist would guess about your family: what you ate, how many people live there, and what you value.

    1. Requirement 7a

      Visit a museum to see how artifacts help tell history, then discuss what you found with your counselor

    2. Requirement 7b

      Show your counselor an important family artifact or heirloom and discuss its history

    3. Requirement 7c

      List everything your family throws away for one week, then discuss with your counselor what archaeologists 1,000 years from now might learn about your family from it

  8. Requirement 8

    Research a group who lived in your area over 100 years ago: their housing, clothing, arts and crafts, tools, trade, rituals and religion, diet, and relations with nearby groups; describe what their site might contain and how they shaped your community

    Tip: Ask your local historical society or library who lived in your area over 100 years ago and what they left behind.

    For example: Research a group that lived in your county over 100 years ago, such as a native nation, farming settlers, or railroad workers. Look for old maps, census records, or museum collections, and describe their homes, work, and food.

  9. Requirement 9

    Explore archaeology-related careers; research one (training, education, costs, outlook, pay, duties, advancement) by library or web search, interview, or worksite visit with parent or guardian permission, then discuss your findings and its appeal with your counselor

    Tip: Look into careers like field archaeologist, museum curator, or lab specialist, and what training each takes.

  10. Requirement 10

    Hands-on archaeology project. Choose 1 of 2

    Tips for this section: Ask your counselor about public digs near you. If there isn't one, ask whether a qualified archaeologist could set up a simulated dig for you to work.

    Example for this section: On a simulated dig set up by a qualified archaeologist, string a grid and dig one square at a time with a trowel and paintbrush. Map and record each find before you remove it, just like a real field crew, then explain what the finds and their layers tell you.

    1. Requirement 10a

      With permission from a parent or guardian and your counselor, help a qualified archaeologist on a project for at least 8 hours, following all site safety directions; describe what you did, what you learned, and the steps of archaeological inquiry

    2. Requirement 10b

      With counselor approval, work a simulated dig designed by a qualified archaeologist: analyze its artifacts and features using the steps of inquiry, document how they relate in space, explain how time and environment affect interpretation, and tell how you'd share results

  11. Requirement 11

    Supervised exhibit or experiment. Choose 1 of 2

    Tips for this section: Museums and historical societies often welcome young volunteers. Always work under a trained adult's supervision.

    1. Requirement 11a

      Under a qualified archaeologist's or instructor's supervision, help get an archaeology exhibit ready for display at a school, museum, visitor center, or other public place

    2. Requirement 11b

      Under a qualified archaeologist's or instructor's supervision, use experimental archaeology methods to rebuild an object or practice a skill from the past, and write a short report on the experiment and its results

Places to visit

Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.

  • A public archaeology day or active excavation

    Watching a crew screen soil, map finds, and label bags shows you the real process, and some sites let visitors help sift.

    How: Have an adult contact your state archaeologist's office, a university anthropology department, or a state archaeology society and ask about events open to youth and families.

  • A natural history or history museum

    Curators and collections staff can show how artifacts are cleaned, cataloged, and stored, and which ones came from your region.

    How: A parent or your counselor calls and asks for the education department to request a behind-the-scenes talk for a small group of Scouts.

  • A national or state park with archaeological sites

    Rangers can explain how the site was studied and how it's protected from damage and looting.

    How: Check the park's website for ranger-led programs, and go with your family or troop.

Where it can lead

  • Field archaeologistSurveys and excavates sites, often outdoors for weeks at a time.
  • Cultural resource management specialistChecks construction sites for artifacts before building starts; the largest employer of archaeologists.
  • Museum curator or collections managerCares for artifacts and decides how they're shared with the public.
  • Field technicianDoes the digging, screening, and recording on survey crews; a common first job after a field school.
  • Lab specialistAnalyzes bones, pollen, or charcoal to learn what people ate and when sites were used.

Ask yourself

  • What do you think the objects in your home would say about you to someone 500 years from now?
  • Which site or discovery made you most curious, and what question would you want to answer there?
  • What part of the archaeological process takes more patience than you expected?
  • How do you feel about who owns the past: the people whose ancestors left it, the landowner, or everyone?
  • If you could join a real dig next summer, what job on the crew would you want?

Good questions to ask an archaeologist or museum curator

  • What's the most surprising thing you've ever found, and what did it tell you?
  • How do you decide where to dig?
  • What happens to artifacts after they leave the ground?
  • How do you work with descendant communities when you study a site?
  • How can someone my age volunteer or take part in a public dig?

Helpful reads

For leaders & parents

  • Build a mock dig site with a string grid and buried objects for a hands-on troop meeting.
  • Contact a state archaeology office or university to ask about public dig days.

People & places that can help

Pairs well with

Into this? Explore more

Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.