Investigating History

-Archaeology

ByS. Angelo: Head Teacher,

HistoryEast Hills Girls Technology

High School2007

Hollywood Archaeology – Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Hollywood created an interesting character – Indiana Jones

He has become renown as the whip carrying, hat wearing, swashbuckling archaeologist who is a mixture of glory hunter and preserver of our culture.

INQUIRY QUESTIONS

•What is Archaeology?•How do Historians investigate the past?

•Why is conserving our heritage important?

The “Crescent Canyon”In the movie, Indiana

Jones and the Last Crusade, the Holy Grail is found in the Crescent Canyon.

In reality, this is the Treasury of the city Petra, Jordan

What is Archaeology?• The word archaeology (often

misspelt as archeology) comes from two Greek words

•αρχαίος archaios=ancient •λόγος

logos=word/speech/discussion

• It means the study of human culture by recording and analysing the remains of a culture and the environment in which they were found.

Archaeology at Petra

• Brown University is currently conducting archaeological excavations at Petra

• http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Anthropology/Petra/

Archaeologists at Work in Jordan

• A team from Sydney University excavated a site in Rukeis, Jordan during the 1990s

• They were trying to find out about the people who lived there over 5,000 years ago

• The work was nothing like the Indiana Jones’ movies

• It was hard, dirty and tiring – but the results were FANTASTIC!!!

Meet the Ancestors• This is a series that looks at

archaeological excavations in Britain

• It shows why and how such excavations take place

• Each show looks at one site and the process that archaeologists and historians work through to find out more about our past

Episode 1: Warrior• Using your worksheet,

complete notes from the video• You are to write at least 2 – 4

points for each section– The site: where?, when?, who?– The excavation process – how?– Artefacts – what?– Conservation – why? How?– Results and Importance

That’s All Folks