Chapter 1-The Work Of Historians And Archeologists Flashcards
What is archeology
Archeology is the study of our ancestors
What is history
History is the study of the past and past human events
What is the difference between prehistory and history
The prehistoric period is before writing was used ex.the Stone
Age the historic period is after writing was used ex.we know about the monks in the early Christian Ireland because they wrote books
What is a source
Evidence,that historians use to build up a picture of the past ex.documents,emails,speeches
What are oral sources
Oral sources are also called interviews
What is a primary source
A primary source is a source that came directly from the past
What is a secondary source
A secondary source is a source that came from a later date than the event
Before books and documents were made what were they called
They were called manuscripts
How do historians use sources
First they look or read the sources very closely They the find out when,why,whom They use the time and rule method Then they judge if it can be trusted They also cross check there sourced
How do historians know if they can trust sources
They check its reliability by checking if it is:bias,it’s accuracy,exaggeration,president properganda,time and place and opinions
How do they put events in order
They do this by measuring time ex.days,hours,months or ad,bc or centuries,millennium and they also used timelines
What is archeology
Archeology is the study of what has been left behind by our ancestors
What is a artifact
Objects made by humans eg.coins,pottery,tools
How do objects end up in the ground
They are lost
Sometimes they are dug up for safe keeping
Overtime abandoned buildings get covered in soil over time
How well are objects preserved in the ground
In most cases bodies layer in the ground decay but other times objects in very hot or cold conditions are sometimes well preserved
How are sites chosen
Research archeology-some sites are chosen because they have reason to believe that there is something underneath
Rescue archeology-archeologists normally excavate a site before a road are building are built
Some are by accident
How do archaeologists excavate a site
1.preparation-a survey is carried out(geophysical survey),dig test trenches,Arial photographs.a detailed plan is made
2.the dig-layers of earth are dug away using a trowel
A hand pick is used to loosen the soil
They use brushes or toothbrushes to make sure that they don’t damage it
They put the soil through the sieve if the object is very small so nothing is missed
Once it had been uncovered they take a photograph
Of nothing is found they look ate the soil-square patched suggest fireplace
A layer of dark soil suggests that the soil was destroyed by a fire
Wooden poles leave dark round patches called post holes
What does excavate mean
When archaeologists dig in the ground to look for the remains of the past
Define survey
A study carried out on a site before it is dug up
What is a hoard
It is when a group of gold and silver is found together
Name three ways of dating objects
Stratigraphy,carbon dating,dendrochronology
What is carbon dating
Carbon or radioactive dating is a scientific way of dating an object that was once alive
Define stratigraphy
It is a way of telling the age of an object by its depth in the soil
Define dendrochronology
It is to date wooden objects such as parts of houses and ships.it is done by counting the amount of rings it had
What can archeologists learn from a skeleton
Was it a man or a women,skull or pelvis
The height estimated by the length of the thigh eg.femur bone
The age at death can tell age of death
There may be evidence of a wound that can help decide cause of death
If there was goods such as pottery with the body then they probably weren’t a Christian
If the skull is well preserved it may be possible to reconstruct face
Scientific analysis of the bones can tell archeologists what type of fashion they had
