How do we uncover the past?

1. How do we uncover the past?

2. Where does our information come from? • Archaeological evidence • Remains of people & animals • Artifacts (human-made objects) • Oral history (history that is passed on without being written down) • Primary documents • Legends (stories of humans with basis in fact) • Secondary sources

3. Which professions contribute to the study of the past? • Archaeologists: study the remains of early civilizations & people • Paleontologists: study the remains of animals & plants (fossils) • Anthropologists: study the origins, development, social habits & culture of humans • Paleoanthropologists: study the fossils & remains of humans & their ancestors

4. Which professions contribute to the study of the past? • Historians: gather information from a variety of sources to create a record of past events • Ethnologists: study people and culture; some historians develop theories about the past based on ethnological studies of similar groups/cultures. • Other scientists: historians and archaeologists often rely on experts in geography, computers, DNA, etc. to help them identify and analyze their finds.

5. A little history teacher propaganda 

6. What tools do archaeologists use? • Excavating tools: trowel, shovels, brushes, dust pan, dental tools, buckets, sifter/screen, etc. • Measuring & surveying tools: tape measure, photo scales, optical line meters, etc. • Recording tools: camera, pencil, paper, etc.

7. Preparing and Executing a Dig • Assemble a dig team: field director, supervisors, crew, other professionals (e.g. surveyor, photographer) • Remove top layers of soil: Look for stains (indicate remains of fire pit, wooden structure or midden) and artifacts • Carefully excavate findings • Record findings: make field notes, take photos, map location, bag and label • Analyze findings: 75% of archaeology is lab analysis of artifacts

8. Dig Precautions Archaeology is destructive so great care must be taken at a dig: • Remove soil carefully so that all objects are found in place • Ensure no artifacts are missed • Don’t use tools in any way that would damage artifacts

9. Underwater Archaeology • Uses same techniques, but excavations are more challenging • Conventional dives can be no deeper than 35 metres & 4 hours long • Limited mobility, visibility & dexterity • Artifacts must be treated to avoid decomposition

10. Types of Artifacts • Organic Remains: plants, animals, people • Inorganic Remains: tools, pottery, etc. • Organic artifacts are best preserved in dry, hot areas (e.g. deserts), extremely cold regions (e.g. Arctic) & waterlogged conditions (e.g. bogs, seafloor)

11. Study of Artifacts • Organic & inorganic remains can tell us how people used the materials around them & what food they ate • Study of these artifacts can also reveal what they were used for (e.g. weapons) • Human remains can tell us about life expectancy, common diseases, occupations, etc.

12. Dating Artifacts • Stratigraphy: studying the layers at a site to determine age • Radiocarbon dating: measuring the level of radioisotope carbon 14 in organic remains to find age • All living things absorb carbon during their life • At death, carbon is released at a constant rate • Rate of decay helps calculate accurate age

13. Your turn… • Watch the following video. • With a partner, pretend you are paleoanthropologists working at a dig site where this discovery has been made. • Create a series of questions that you would ask about this find in order to learn as much as possible about it.

14. The real find • “Jane”, 14, who died in Jamestown, Virginia over the winter of 1609-1610 • The remains (a skull & tibia) were found in a cellar with dog & horse bones • Marks on her skull indicate that flesh was thoroughly removed—the first scientific evidence of survival cannibalism from this period