or Archaeology 101.
So after training the skill and getting out and about, this is pretty much how Archaeology works (Stolen from wowhead).
To begin open your map and zoom out to the whole continent. You will see shovels in various zones, usually 3-4 per continent. Once you reach that zone, a red area shows up on your map. Click the survey button and a telescope with a light will appear on the ground. Follow the direction of the telescope and drop another survey. If the light on the scope is red you are far away from an artifact. Once green, drop a survey in the direction of the telescope every couple of yards until the artifact appears. Rinse and repeat until you have looted all the artifacts in that area, usually 3-4.
When you open your professions screen, you can click on the race of the fragments you collected. Once you reach the number of artifacts you need click the solve button.
I received 5 skill ups the first time I solved a Night Elf artifact and it gave me a grey item.
Also, when you loot an artifact it says you receive X number of currency, but it is not available in the currency tab, only in the archaeology tab.
Indy says:
“We do not follow maps to buried treasure and X never, ever marks the spot.”