Flashcards in Historians and archaeology Deck (27):
What is the prehistoric period?
The prehistoric period is before recorded time. (Before writing was used)
What is the historic period.
The historic period is when people recorded time. (used writing)
what is a source?
A source is evidence that helps build up a picture of the past.
What are the two types of sources?
Primary sources and secondary sources.
What is a primary source?
A primary source is a source directly from the event.
What is a secondary source?
A secondary source is a source not directly from the event.
What are some examples of primary and secondary sources?
Primary source- Diaries, autobiographies, artefacts, photographs.
Secondary source- Biographies, movies, history books.
What are some places that sources are stored in?
Archives, libraries and museums.
What is the time and place rule?
The time and place rule is examining how close the source was to the event.
What is cross-checking?
Cross-checking is making sure the history of the past is as accurate as possible.
What is bias?
Bias is when one source favours one side or another.
What is exaggeration?
Exaggeration is making an event appear greater than it really is.
What is propaganda?
Propaganda is a source to influence people's opinions.
What is a census?
A census is a form sent to every household every four years to document the population.
What are artefacts?
Artefacts are man-made objects of significance from the past found in the ground.
How do objects end up in the ground?
-Some are lost.
-In pre-Christian times, goods were buried with the dead.
-Buildings were abandoned and got covered in soil over time.
What is research archaeology?
Research archaeology is when a site is chosen because there is evidence that a site is there.
What is rescue archaeology?
Rescue archaeology is making sure no objects of significance are in the ground before a road or building is made.
How are sites chosen?
Research archaeology, rescue archaeology and by accident.
What is the process of excavation?
First they take a geophysical survey (scanning the ground), then they dig test trenches. Next, they take aerial photographs and then a plan is made.
What are tools archaeologists used for excavation?
Trowels, handpicks, brushes, sieves and toothbrushes.
What happens once an object is found?
A photograph is taken.
what are ways of dating artefacts?
Stratigraphy, radiocarbon or carbon dating, dendrochronology.
What is stratigraphy?
stratigraphy is the dating of objects by the depth at which they are found.
What is carbon dating?
Carbon dating is used to find the age of objects that lived by examining how much carbon is present.
What is dendrochronology?
Dendrochronology is the study of the age of a wooden object through tree-ring dating. (Counting the rings in the tree.)