Historians and Archaeologists

Heading: Historians and archaeologists

Learning Intention: We will be learning about the roles of a historian and archaeologist.

Success Criteria: I will be successful when I am able to:

define key historical terminology and concepts
outline the roles of a historian and archaeologist
create a conclusion using evidence presented
explain the importance of archaeological digs and stratigraphy with investigating the past

STARTER ACTIVITY

Using the images below, predict the role of an archaeologist and historian. Be prepared to share your ideas with the rest of the class

What is a Historian and Archaeologist?

TASK 1: Table

Draw up a table in your exercise books. In one column, put Historian; in the other, put Archaeologist. Place each of the following descriptions to what you think is the role of each one.

Researches the past
Classified evidence, placing it in its correct context of time and place
Communicates and explains the past
Analyses and interprets evidence from the source
Asks questions of the sources, interprets the evidence to draw conclusions
Investigates the past
Asks historical questions
Collects and records evidence from the sources and makes observations
Identifies material sources
Evaluates sources
Communicates their findings about the past
Draws conclusions

Copy out the following information

Historians and Archaeologists use evidence. This is the information that tends to prove (support) or disprove (not support) a conclusion. For example, the evidence to support that dinosaurs once existed is based on scientific evidence which includes fossils, bones, teeth, footprints and eggs.
Historians and archaeologists also rely on the work of other experts when looking at evidence. These experts include:

anthropologists

biologists

cryptographers and linguists

forensic pathologists

geophysical surveyors

geneticists

palaeontologists

TASK 2: Glossary

Match each of the following definitions with the experts above. Write out each definition.

Scientists who study the fossilised remains of plants and animals
Scientists who study a living thing’s unique genes
Use tools and techniques to locate something underground or underwater
Scientists who study living things
Study the behaviours and customs of human societies
Experts in languages and symbols who are able to read some of the ancient language or decode unknown or secret writing
Specialists in the causes of death, called upon when investigating ancient bodies

TASK 3: Murder Mystery Activity

Get into pairs or groups (no more than 4). You will be given the image below on an A3 sheet of paper. You will be acting like a detective to come up with a theory on what happened here.

To help you solve the mystery, here is what you need to do:

Circle all of the unusual/suspicious things and annotate them. Think about what each of the clues you see tells you (e.g. the broken window).
After you have done the first step, discuss in your pair/group what you think happened. Write at least a half page response (each person needs to have this in their books)
Present your findings to the class.

Stratigraphy

Read through the following information and then complete the questions/activities that follow.

Archaeologists use stratigraphy to help them work out how an archaeological site has changed over time. To do this, they dig down to expose the multiple layers beneath the Earth’s surface. The objects they find within each layer are clues to how people used a particular area of land at different times in the past. The bottom layer is the oldest and the top layer is the most recent.

Stratigraphy is based on the fact that, over time, geology and human activity result in soil forming layers (strata) with different colours, soil composition, texture and thicknesses. Each layer will also contain the remains of different time periods and societies. The basic law of stratigraphy is the law of superposition. This means that the bottom layer of soil is the oldest and the top layer is the most recent.

Archaeologists therefore investigate a site in reverse chronological order to the time when its layers were deposited. They assume that once they have divided a site into cross-sectional layers, most of what they find within a particular layer will be from the same time period. They know that sometimes human and animal activities or the forces of nature cause layers to get mixed with one another, so they have to check this as well. An archaeological site usually provides helpful information on the period of time during which people have used that area of land and a chronological sequence of what has happened during that time.

TASK 4: Comprehension

Using the information above, answer the following questions:

Define the words in bold (strata, law of superposition, chronological order)
What is stratigraphy?
Why is stratigraphy important for archaeologists?

Look at the image to the left and answer the following questions

Identify:

a) The oldest layer

b) The youngest layer

Which layers show evidence of human activity?
Which layer DOES NOT show evidence of human activity?
In which layer would an archaeologist need the expertise (skills) of a palaeontologist? Explain why.
Which layer would be an indication of the medieval era? Justify your answer.

TASK 5: What's the Story of this Place?

The items in the left hand box were found underground. The layers are unknown. Your task is to create your own story of why these items were underground. Use the screenshot sample to create one that's similar.

What is the story of this place?

Schema means theory

Inference means conclusion

An Archaeological Dig

Once archaeologists have located a historical site that they think may contain important artefacts, it is roped off from the public. These sites are referred to as archaeological digs. The area is then divided up and marked off in grid sections so that the precise location of items can be recorded and catalogued. After surveying the site, archaeologists remove overlying rocks and dirt with great care, sometimes using teaspoons, small brushes, dental tools, sieves - even toothpicks. Once a source is fully exposed and excavated, the archaeologist photographs and numbers it, and records details of it a description and the exact location where it was found.

TASK 6: Worksheet

Download the following PowerPoint and complete the worksheet as you're navigating through it.

1.3a - ARCHAEOLOGY - by Jonathan Coller.pptx

1.3c - Archaeology powerpoint worksheet.pdf

TASK 7: The Cookie Excavation

You are going to excavate a chocolate chip cookie. Each student will receive:

An activity sheet
A chocolate chip cookie
A toothpick

Steps completing your cookie excavation:

Before starting the excavation, place your cookie on Grid A. Then draw the cookie, with all the visible artefacts (chocolate chips) included. This will be your record of the archaeological site.
Excavate the cookies with the toothpicks, by carefully chipping away at the dirt (cookie) to slowly reveal any hidden artefacts (chocolate chips). Be careful not to damage the artefacts while excavating! For an added challenge, you CANNOT pick up your cookie because archaeologists cannot pick up sites.
For each “artefact” found add it to the drawing on grid B.
At the end, you should have a pile of back dirt (cookie crumbs) and artefacts (chocolate chips), and your drawing of what it looked like before.
Count your artefact. We will then see which student(s) had the most.
Eat your destroyed cookie :)
Finally, write a PEEL paragraph explaining how this activity teaches us about archaeology.

Cookie-excavation-sheet_MOA.pdf

Dating Methods

(No, not two people dating!!!)

Copy out the points below

This is when historians use a range of dating methods to date past events. For historians to correctly understand their sources, they must be able to accurately tell when, in time, a source was created. Historians use a number of scientific tools to help determine how old something is.
Two forms:

Relative – techniques to determine whether an artefact or fossil is older or younger than other objects
Absolute – determines the age of an object in years, as precisely as current technologies allow

Main types:

Radiocarbon dating
Thermoluminescence
Dendrochronology

TASK 8: Table

Draw up the table in your books and research the definition of each type of dating. Then, find examples of sources that are used for this type of dating (e.g. pottery)

TASK 9: Pamphlet/Poster

Create a pamphlet or poster for historians showing the different methods of dating. Use pictures of artefacts that are appropriate, such as wood from a ship or pottery.

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