1. Archaeology

2. What is Archaeology? One of 4 sub-fields Anthropology
Study of ancient cultures through material remains
Artifacts
Aims to explain origins & development of human culture
“Speak to the earth and it shall teach thee”

3. Why is Archaeology Important?
“History is to society as memory is to the individual.”
Importance:
Provides a means to learn about our past
True for cultures with and without any written history
“History will be kind to me because I intend to write it” ~Winston Churchill

4. Can You Determine Where the following artifacts come from?

18. What is it?

19. How Archaeologists Conduct Research
1) Survey Site
2) Excavation
Step 1: Remove top soil
Step 2: Site plan
Step 3: Study artifacts

20. Dating Methods: Absolute vs. Relative

21. Absolute Dating Dendrochronology Carbon 14 Potassium-argon
Thermoluminescence

22. Relative Dating: Determining the Order of Events
Law of Horizontality
Layers form horizontally
Law of Superposition
Oldest on bottom; Youngest on top
Law of Association
Objects in same layer = same age

23. Garbology William Rathje

24. Which Character Represents the Best Possible Way to Uncover the Past?

25. The Ark of the Covenant