Come on an archaeological adventure!
With the Archaeo-Adventure workshop, exclusive to Pointe-à-Callière, the Museum gives young people and families a chance to experience a simulated archaeological dig, first on the site, then in the head archaeologist’s tent and the laboratory space. This space in the basement of the Mariners' House – National Bank Building is a very realistic reproduction of a dig site, offering visitors an unusual and rewarding scientific experience. They can step into an archaeologist’s shoes and head off to find some authentic remains and artifacts buried in the soil, while discovering all the secrets the past has to reveal.
Archaeologists for a day: get out your trowels, brushes, surveying tools and pencils!
The space devoted to Archaeo-Adventure is divided up into four large zones where visitors can explore traces of Montréal’s history and, in the Archaeo-Quiz zone, find out how people lived in Montréal in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. One zone is a veritable dig site where visitors can excavate with real tools just like actual archaeologists and learn proper work methods and techniques. In another zone, they can explore the head archaeologist’s tent and see how it is arranged. Finally, the last zone is a laboratory, where the archaeologist’s work continues with describing, classifying, inventorying and analyzing the artifacts and ecofacts found on the dig site.
An extraordinary experience that’s scientific, historical and fun
Archaeo-Adventure will take youngsters on an archaeology mission. They’ll see for themselves what archaeologists do, dig up traces from three major periods in Montréal history, and analyze and identify their finds in the laboratory. Each part of the workshop offers a challenge and lets them learn about an archaeological site and Montréal’s birthplace.