Archaeology is the study of how people lived in the past by examining the things they left behind. This includes objects like the clothes they wore, the food they ate, the homes they built, and the tools they used. Archaeologists carefully dig up these remains to learn about ancient lives, helping us piece together stories from thousands of years ago. 

However, not everything from the past survives. Many materials like wood, textiles, and food decay quickly, especially in the poor soil conditions of Kirklees. What does survive—such as stone tools, bones, or pottery—is often unusual or rare. This means the evidence we find can sometimes give us a limited or biased view of how people actually lived. 

In Kirklees, important archaeological work on prehistoric sites like Castle Hill, Almondbury, and March Hill has revealed layers of history stretching back thousands of years. For example, Castle Hill has been excavated several times, with major archaeological digs taking place in the 1960s and 1970s. These digs uncovered the remains of ancient huts, defences, and tools that helped archaeologists understand how people lived during the Bronze and Iron Ages.