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Archaeology. Chapter 1 Section 5. What is archaeology?. Archaeology is the study of remains of past human life — which began 500 years ago. Archaeologists study artifacts or things made by people. Archaeologists
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Archaeology Chapter 1 Section 5
What is archaeology? • Archaeology is the study of remains of past human life—which began 500 years ago. • Archaeologists study artifacts or things made by people. • Archaeologists excavate or dig in the earth and attempt to understand how people lived long ago.
Artifacts • Why do we study artifacts? • Not many written records from ancient times • Examples: • art • weapons • tools • pottery
Important Archaeological Finds • Ancient Roman cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii • showed exactly how ancient Romans lived • found streets, temples, houses, and theaters • Rosetta Stone • Carved stone found in Egypt • contained translation from Egyptian picture writing to Greek…a two-language dictionary • was a key to learn more about history of Egypt and its people.
Dating Archaeological Remains • In 1832, scientist Christian J. Thomsen divided early human history into three ages or periods based on tools or weapons used by people at the time. • Stone Age • Bronze Age • Iron Age • Later divided by how they got their food: food gatherers (gets food from hunting, fishing, etc.) then food producers (farming, domesticate animals, etc.)
Dating Archaeological Remains • Trees were first used to date archaeological finds-each year trees form a new growth ring • Scientists would count rings from a wooden object found at a sight, and compare it to the age of a tree they knew • Carbon 14 dating • discovered by Willard Frank Libby • Every living thing contains carbon 14, which gradually disappears over time • Can date an object as far back as 30,000 years ago
Closing Questions • What is archaeology? What do they study? • What were the three main archaeological finds? • What are the three ages, in order? • What are the two methods used to date artifacts?