Week 1 Part 1

Question 1

What does prehistory mean? What is the archaeological definition of history

Answer 1

Prehistory: The study of periods in which literature is ABSENT.

History: The study of periods in which literature is PRESENT. This is relative, Australian history could therefore start in 1788.

Question 2

How does archaeology define itself?

Answer 2

A description of the ‘lives’ of material objects. In turn, considering human lives

Question 3

Give us 3 examples of artefact types

Answer 3

1/ Human remains
2/ Pottery
3/ Economic evidence (gold, food remains)

Question 4

What is the purpose of experimental archaeology

Answer 4

Teaches us cost and efficency of different techniques and skill levels

Question 5

Why do archaeologists hate historical texts and thus prefer artefacts? Give 2 reasons

Answer 5

• Often our sense of the reliability of sources increase simply by repeating their expression / translation etc.
• Multiple texts may have a similar origin

Question 6

What is one pro and one con of archaeological study relative to historical texts?

Answer 6

Pro +:
Works best with aspects of human life that does not leave writing

Con -:
Chronological resolution is low