Name____________________________________________Date__________Class_______Period____
Archeologist/Historian Training
Directions:Workingtogetherasagroup,readeachquestionaloudtothegroupandthendiscusspossibleanswersandreasonsforchoosingthem.Makesurethateveryoneparticipates.Asyouexaminethedifferentexamples,considerthechallengesfacedbyarcheologistsandhistoriansinuncoveringthepastandrecordthemonyourorganizeratthebottomofyournotessheet.Archeological Evidence :WhichofthefollowingisNOTanartifact?Circleandexplainwhy.
Written Sources :IndicatewhetherthesourcesareprimaryorsecondarybywritingaPoranS._____WorldHistorytextbookwritingaboutthelifeofJuliusCaesar_____EyewitnessaccountoftheOttomanconquestofConstantinople_____Newspaperarticlediscussingthecurrentpresidentialelection_____AncientGreekHistorianwritingin440BCEaboutanEgyptianPharaohwholivedin1310BCEThe Ancient Coin :Youareanarcheologist,andyouhavejustbeenpresentedwithacoinbyamanwhoclaimstohavefounditbychanceinAfghanistanneartheborderofIran.HeinsistsitisanauthenticancientcoinfromthetimeofAlexandertheGreat.ItshowsthefaceofamanresemblingAlexander,andisevenmarkedwiththedate238BC.Isthecoinauthenticorisitaforgery?Howcanyoutell?
The Victorious King :YouareanhistorianexaminingroyalrecordsofanEgyptianPharaohfromthe18thDynasty.TherecordsmainlytellofthePharaoh’smanyvictoriesoverneighboringkingdoms,inwhichhisenemieswereutterlycrushedbyhissuperiorsoldiersandweapons.Thereisnomentionofasingledefeat.WoulditmakesensetoconcludefromthisevidencethatthePharaohneverlostabattle?Whyorwhynot?
Motel of the Mysteries :Asatireonarcheology,MoteloftheMysteriesmakesfunofthetendencyofsomearcheologiststospeculate(guess)andexaggeratewhenanalyzingtheirfindings.Inthebook,whichtakesplaceinthedistantfutureaftertheUnitedStateshascollapsed,archeologistsvisitwhatwasonceasmallroadsidemotel,whichtheymistakeforasacredburialchamber!Examinetheimagesandcaptionsbelowandthenanswerthequestions.
Ingeneral,whentheuseorpurposeofanobjectisunclear,whattypeofexplanationisoftengiven?Whatlessonsaboutarcheologyshouldwetakefromthesesatiricalmisinterpretations?
Theimageofthearcheologist’sassistantwearingthe“SacredCollarandCeremonialHeadband”(topleft)isanintentionalparodyoftherealimageofthewifeofHeinrichSchliemann,thearcheologistwhoexcavatedAncientTroy(andwasknownforinaccuratespeculation),wearingwhathecalledthe“JewelsofTroy,”whichwaslateridentifiedasadecorativebelt(topright).
Thearcheologistdescribesthe“GreatAltar,”atelevisionatopadresser(below),asfollows:“Thismagnificentstructure,towardwhicheverythingintheouterchamberwasdirected,representstheessenceofreligiouscommunicationaspracticedbytheancientNorthAmericans.…[it]wascapableofcommunicationwithalargenumberofgods…Belowtheexquisiteglassfaceoftheupperaltarareanumberofsealedspacesforofferings.”
Detaileddrawingofthefabulousdiscoverymadeintheinnerburialchamber(aboveleft).“WearingtheCeremonialHeadDress,[thebody]hadbeenplacedinahighlypolishedwhitesarcophagus…”
RelativeDatingMethodsForartifactssuchaspotterythat
changeinstyleovertime,archaeologistscangroupsimilar
artifactsandthenorderthegroupsintheseriesfromearlieststyleto
lateststyle.
Archaeologistscancreatethechronologyofartifactsbasedonthefactthat,ingeneral,olderartifactsarefoundinlowerlevelsofthesite
thenewerones.
Whentheagesofgeologicalfeaturesatthesiteareknown,archaeologists
canusethesedatestohelpdeterminetheagesofmaterial
remainsfoundnearthem.
AbsoluteDatingMethodsCoinsfoundinexcavationsmayhave
theirproductiondatewrittenonthem,ortheremaybewrittenrecordsdescribingthecoinand
whenitwasused,allowingthesitetobeassociatedwithaparticular
calendaryear.
Becausetheageofthetreecanbedeterminedbystudyingtheinsideof
itstrunk,archaeologistscandeterminefeartheaccuratepagesforstructuresbuiltfromwood.
Alllivingthingscontaincarbon-14,aradioactiveelementthatdecaysata
setrate.Archaeologistscanusecarbon-14levelstodatetheremainsofoncelivingitemssuchasbones,
wood,andash.
Howmightyoudeterminedtheagesof10potsfoundburiedunderthefloorthewoodenbuilding?
Discovery in Zimbabwe :YouhavebeeninvolvedinanarcheologicalexcavationofGreatZimbabwe,theruinsofacityinsouthernAfricathatwasabandonedhundredsofyearsagoandaboutwhichlittleisknown.YouandyourteamhavejustdiscoveredforeignartifactssuchasArabiancoinsandpiecesof
Chinesepotteryintheruinsofthecity!HowcanyouexplainthepresenceoftheseartifactsatthesiteofGreatZimbabwe,andwhatcantheypossiblytellusaboutthepeoplewhooncelivedinGreatZimbabwe?Explainyourtheorybelow.
Perspectives in Conflict :Youareresearchinganeventthattookplaceinthe1870swhentheEnglishexplorerHenryMortonStanleytravelledalongtheCongoRiverinAfrica,andyouhavecomeacrosstwoprimarysourcesthatseemtotellverydifferentstoriesofthesameevent.OneaccountisfromStanley,andtheotherisfromthechiefofthetribetheyencountered.Readtheaccounts,considertheperspectivesofbothmen,andtrytofigureoutwhatreallytookplace.
“Thecanoe-men,standingup,givealoudshoutasthey[notice]us,andblowtheirhornseverlouder.Therearefifty-fourofthem!Amonstercanoeleadstheway…theirbodiesbendingandswayinginunisonaswithaswellingbarbarouschorustheydrivedowntowardsus…Iturntotakealastlookatourpeople,andsaytothem,‘Boys,befirmasiron;waituntilyouseethefirstspear,andthentakegoodaim.Don’tfireallatonce.Keepingaiminguntilyouaresureofyourman.Don’tthinkofrunningawayforonlyyourgunscansaveyou.’”
–HenryMortonStanley“Whenweheardthatthemanwiththewhitefleshwas[coming]wewereopen-mouthedwithastonishment…Weassembledthegreatcanoes.Wesweptforward,mycanoeleading,theothersfollowing,withsongsofjoyandwithdancing,tomeetthefirstwhitemanoureyeshadbeheld,andtodohimhonor.Butaswedrewnearhiscanoestherewereloudreports,bang!Bang!Andfire-sticksspitbitsofironatus.‘War!Thatiswar!’Iyelled.”
–ChiefMojimba
Afteranalyzingthetwoaccounts,whatdoyouthinkreallyhappened?Wouldyouconsidereitherorbothoftheseaccountstobebiased?Whyisitimportanttoexaminemultipleperspectivesonthesameevent?Biasinsourcesisnotnecessarilyabadthing.Whatcanabiasedsourceshowthatanunbiasedsourcewouldnot?