Module 5 Flashcards
Life Science
a term that encompasses all scientific pursuits related to living organisms
Archaeology
the study of past human life as revealed by preserved relics
Artifact
objects made by humans such as tools, weapons, containers, etc.
Geology
the study of earth’s history as revealed in the rocks that make up the earth
Paleontology
the study of life’s history as revealed in the preserved remains of once-living plants and animals
Aristotle’s dictum
the benefit of the doubt is to be given to the document itself, not assigned by the critic to himself
Known age
the age of an artifact as determined by a date printed on it or a reference to the artifact in a work of history
Dendrochronology
the process of counting tree rings to determine the age of a tree
Radiometric dating
using a radioactive process to determine the age of an item
Absolute Age
the calculated age of an artifact when a specific dating method is used to determine when the artifact was made
The Principle of Superposition
when artifacts are found in rock or earth that is layered, the deeper layers hold the older artifacts
if you wanted to learn about the history of life other than human life, which science would you use?
paleontology, because it focuses on plant and animal life
Name the three tests used to evaluate documents that claim to be historical.
the internal test, the external test, the bibliographic test
What does the internal test do?
it makes sure that the document doesn’t contradict itself
What does the external test do?
it makes sure that the document doesn’t contradict other known historical or archaeological facts
