ARCHEOLOGY

What would people be able to figure out about you if they were to enter your home a thousand years from now? Archeologists study what is left behind and try to determine its meaning, whether it’s a piece of pottery, a dinosaur bone or an underwater shipwreck. Learn more about the techniques and discoveries of archeology through the direct links on the Times Launch Point Web site:

https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint

Here are the best sites for getting your schoolwork done or for just having fun.

Level 1

Odyssey in Egypt: Peek over the shoulders of archeologists as they excavate a 4th century Egyptian monastery. Read about their weekly progress, learn more about Egyptian culture and take a virtual tour of the excavation site.

https://www.website1.com/odyssey/home.html

Royal Ontario Museum--Worlds to Explore: Find out how archeologists survey a site and try some fun activities: exploring an Iroquoian long house, playing a game with fossils, spelling your name using hieroglyphics, and even creating your own mummy.

https://www.rom.on.ca/eyouths/funstm.html

QUEST (The Natural History Museum, London): Become an online archeologist and detective through this series of exercises in which you study objects thoroughly, use tools to perform tests and share your observations with others from around the world.

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/education/quest/index.html

Level 2

Archeological Adventure: Babylonians in 550 B.C. were already archeologists and displayed their findings in a museum. Learn about the history of archeology, the stories behind famous expeditions and about the many methods archeologists use for examining sites.

https://tqd.advanced.org/3011/heading.htm

Nova Online Adventure--Secrets of Easter Island: Explore the mystery, the history and the physics behind the “moai,” the nearly 900 statues that stand roughly 13 feet tall, weigh an estimated 14 tons a piece and which guard the coasts of Easter Island.

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/easter/

Is the Past in Your Future? Looking at Careers in Archeology: What does it take to become the next Indiana Jones or Mary Leakey? Find out more about this exciting field which combines anthropology, history, biology, chemistry and even art.

https://www.sha.org/sha_kbro.htm

Level 3

Archeology: Discover the many branches of archeology, learn about methods for calculating the age of objects and read about the controversy over “Lucy” who lived 3 million to 4 million years ago and who may be closely related to both humans and modern apes.

https://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/b-sklar/archaeosection.html

The Five Points Site: Find out how urban archeologists work and how artifacts can give insights into the past through this in-depth study of Five Points, a famous 19th century New York neighborhood.

https://r2.gsa.gov/fivept/fphome.htm

Arctic Studies Center: Explore the wide diversity of North Pacific cultures from the Ice Age to the present day through this online museum that has numerous photos and video and audio clips.

https://nmnhwww.si.edu/arctic/index.html

Launch Point is produced by the UC Irvine department of education, which reviews each site for appropriateness and quality. Even so, parents should supervise their children’s use of the Internet. This column was designed by Nicole Sim, Cecilia Alvizures, Hetty Jun and Anna Manring.

EXPLORER’S QUEST

How old does an object need to be to be considered an artifact?

CLUE: See Royal Ontario Museum: Worlds to Explore

Find What You Need to Know: Have a project on California history? Need help doing a math problem? Launch Point now covers more than 50 topics for getting your schoolwork done. Go to https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint/ for the full list of subjects and direct links to the best Internet sites.

Answer to last week’s Quest: Julius Caesar