Archaeology

Archaeology is the study of the human past through the excavation and analysis of artifacts and other physical remains.

The vast public lands managed by the BLM feature significant evidence of the 10,000+ years of human prehistory and history in the western United States and Alaska. Sites long abandoned by ancient people offer important insights into the ways in which human activities and the environment have been linked together through time, and how seemingly minor cultural practices can contribute to substantial environmental change. Discovering, studying, and understanding the evidence of past human influences provide us with important lessons about how we should be using our lands today.