Archaeology

Bringing the Past to Life

What is Archaeology?

Archaeology is the study of human history, using material remains to discover information about the people and events of the past.

Archaeologists use artifacts - the objects and materials people in the past made and used - and information obtained at sites - the places that people once lived - as evidence to draw conclusions about how people once lived.

Building Evidence of the Past

Define your Purpose - what are you investigating? – write in the form of a question

Make a Hypothesis – make an educated guess based on what you know What area of the world are you investigating? What kind of people were likely to have lived there? What information has already been uncovered?

Uncover the Past – dig your site very carefully, what can the placement of artifacts and the dirt around artifacts tell you about the site?

Check your Hypothesis – does the information you uncovered fit with what you thought? Fit with what other scientists think? Is this new information?

Dig Site

Bones &Artifacts

Stratigraphy

Tools &Measurement

Go to Virtual Dig

Stratigraphy

Back to Dig Site

Older objects are found on the bottom layers, newer objects are found at the top

Objects that are found in the same layer probably come from the same time period

Stratigraphy – the study of dirt and rocks as layers in the earth

Artifacts & Bones

An artifact is any human made object Tools, clothes, and dwellings

are all artifacts that can give us a glimpse into the ancient world

Bones can provide a great deal of information Bones of humans can tell how

old a person was or how they died

Bones of animals can tell what people of the time ate

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Tools & Measurement

The length and weight of objects can provide information about how people lived How large were the houses? How close did people live to water? How much did tools weigh?

Graphs and plots of artifacts can help scientists organize information Where did people live in relation to

each other? How many tools were found?

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Virtual DigVirtual Dig

The Location :

What information do you know about this area?

Where is this area located?

What types of people have lived in this area?

What is the rough timeline of this area?

Answer each question on the worksheet

Virtual DigVirtual DigThe Dig Site:

Bones

Textiles

Petrified Wood

What information can you find out from bones?

What kind of information can you find from an artifact like fabric?

What kind of information can you find from an artifact like wood?

Conclusion

All of the artifacts listed have been found in the same layer of dirt.

BonesBones

Back to Dig Site

Found at the Dig Site:

Animal Bones – Buffalo, deer, rabbits and other small game

From the clues that bones provide:

Hypothesize what the people that once lived here ate.

Can you draw any conclusions about what the people wore?

Are there any other clues that the bones can give you? Hint:

TextilesTextiles

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Found at the Dig Site:

A piece of leather, dyed by tree bark.Handmade beads and feathers of various colors attached.

From the clues that textiles provide:

Hypothesize what the leather was once used for.

Draw a picture of a person using the cloth when it was new.

Is there another way that this textile could have been used? How?

Petrified WoodPetrified Wood

Back to Dig Site

Found at the Dig Site:

Pieces of wood of various lengths,not burned

From the clues that the wood provides:

Hypothesize what the wood was originally used for.

Draw a picture of the wood as it was once used.

Is there another way that this wood could have been used? How?

Concluding NotesConcluding Notes Using the information that you gathered from the

dig and research information from your textbook or the Internet, write a 2-3-paragraph concluding-note that draws together your hypotheses about how the people at this site once lived. Include information about what the people once ate, what they wore, and what type of housing they lived in. Draw a conclusion – what culture would these people be categorized as today?