1. 6th Grade Social Studies
Uncovering the Past
6th Grade Social Studies

2. What is History? History is the study of the past.
Historians study history by using clues from the past.
We can improve our understanding of people’s actions and beliefs through the study of history.
Studying history helps us:
Know ourselves
Know others
Know the world

3. How Does History Help Us?
Studying history helps us:
Know ourselves
Know others
Know the world

4. Archaeology contributes to the field of history
What is Archaeology?
This PowerPoint was created by Amy McCray, a trained Anthropologist. You can download and use this PowerPoint for personal or classroom use. Please enjoy it, I hope it is informative and helpful in learning the basics of archaeology and what archaeologists do.
Archaeology contributes to the field of history

5. Archaeologists DO NOT:
Study dinosaurs.
Just look for pretty or valuable objects.
Just pick up artifacts.
Spend all their time just digging.
Buy, sell, or put a price on artifacts.
Many people have the wrong idea about what archeologists do. But before we learn what they do, lets learn what they don’t do. Archeologists do not study dinosaurs, that is paleontology.
We do not just look for pretty or valuable objects. Every day, boring items can tell a lot about a person or group.
We don’t just pick up the artifacts we find. Archaeologists must take notes, take photographs, and make maps so that we can recreate how objects are associated or in relation to one another. The placement of items can tell us what an item may have been used for, not just what the item is.
We do not spend all our time digging, that’s actually a minor part of the process—we spend most of our time analyzing artifacts. Analyzing is looking at something to figure our what it is or what it was used for.
We do not buy, sell or put a price on artifacts. If you ask an archaeologist they will tell you what something is if they can, but they will not tell you what it’s worth.

6. Photos from my work at Mammoth Cave National Park.
So what is archaeology?
The systematic, scientific recovery and analysis of artifacts in order to answer questions about past human culture and behavior.
Archeology is the systematic, scientific recovery and analysis of artifacts in order to answer questions about past human culture and behavior. But what do these words mean?
Photos from my work at Mammoth Cave National Park.

7. Systematic: A consistent way of studying anything.
Systematic: a consistent way of studying anything. Or doing it the same way every time.

8. Science: Methods and knowledge of studying anything.
Science is the methods and knowledge of studying anything. Biology, astronomy, geology are all types of science

9. Recovery / Analysis: To collect and study artifacts.
Recovery is to collect artifacts.
Analysis is to study artifacts and figure out what they are and how they were used. Archeologists use several methods borrowed from other scientific fields to do this. This is what archaeologists spend most of their time doing.

10. Artifact: Any item resulting from human activity.
An artifact is any item resulting from human activity. Fossils are not artifacts, they were not made by humans.
Artifacts are anything human hands have used. Whether they just picked something up to use or if they made it. Even buildings are considered artifacts. Artifacts are also things left behind. Think about what we leave behind—things we no longer want or need. That’s our garbage! So often archaeologists are studying garbage.

11. Fossil: fossil is a part or imprint of something that was once alive.
For information on the very first humans, we have fossil remains.

12. Question-based: Archaeologists study artifacts in order to answer questions about how humans lived.
Did they have religion?
Did they have disease or sickness?
What tools did they use?
What did they eat?
When did they live?
Did they hunt or farm?
Did they have laws?
Archeology is a question-based science. Archeologists always develop a question they want answered before they do anything else. These are some of the questions they may ask and try to find the answer to.
Where did they live?
Who took care of the children?
Did they have writing?
Did they have art?
How large was the group?

13. Past: Archaeologists study human cultures that are no longer living.
The past can be 50 years ago or 4.5 million years ago.

14. Archaeologists study humans that have been gone for 50 years to 4
Archaeologists study humans that have been gone for 50 years to 4.5 million years.
We study people who’ve been dead for 4.5 millions years to 50 years old. The reason human remains must be at least 50 years old is because remains any earlier could be left because of murder—they could be part of a criminal case. So once a coroner determines remains are older than fifty years they would be turned over to an archaeologist to study.
Archaeologist and Biological Anthropologist can study archaeological evidence as old as 4.5 million years ago—about when human relatives first began populating the planet.

15. Culture: Any learned behavior that is shared with others.
So why do we study human bones and artifacts? Archaeologists are trying to learn about past culture and behavior. Culture is any behavior or tradition shared with others. Every group of people has culture. The United States has culture—our holiday traditions to how we learn to talk—these are part of our culture. There are even subcultures or a culture within a culture. Children are a subculture. They do things different than adults and have their own way of communicating and doing things.

16. So what is Archaeology? People Garbage
More simply it is the study of artifacts left behind to learn about people from the past. OR
People
and their
Garbage
So if archaeology is the study of artifacts left behind to learn about people from the past, think about what we leave behind—things we no longer want or need. That’s our garbage! So, often archaeologists are studying garbage. There are even archaeologists today who study landfills out in California to find out about what people throw out today.

17. Types of Archaeology Prehistoric Archaeology Historical Archaeology
Before writing.
Historical Archaeology
Document/writing assisted
Classical Archaeology
Greek and Roman
Biblical Archaeology
Underwater Archaeology
Shipwrecks or anything else under water.
Industrial Archaeology
Industrial Revolution and other modern structures
Egyptologists, Mayanists, Assyriologists
Study of specific civilizations or time periods.
Cultural Resource Management
Management and assesment of significant cultural resources.
Many archeologists go on in their training to specialize in specific times, places, or environments. The ones listed above are the few of many special interests.
Prehistoric archaeologists study cultures with no writing.
Historic archaeologists use written documents and photographs to help them with their work.
Classical Archaeology is the study of the ancient Greeks and Romans.
Biblical archaeologist try to prove or disprove places and events described in the bible.
Underwater Archaeologists wear scuba gear and use the same methods as other archaeologists to study archaeological remains. They mostly look at shipwrecks. Because things in water are always cold and wet they don’t rot very fast. Archaeologists can find an entire ship in one piece because of the constant environment.
Industrial Archaeology is the study of the Industrial Revolution and other modern structures.
The study of Egypt, the Mayans, and ancient Assyria (Babylon)
Cultural Resource Management is the management and assessment of cultural resources. That means whenever something new is built an archaeologist must come in and make sure that there are no artifacts being lost or destroyed. We also keep track of places we know have artifacts and make sure they aren’t being damaged or stolen from. Cultural Resource Management is also used to teach others about archaeology. .

18. Written Clues: People invented writing 5,000 years ago
Written Clues: People invented writing 5,000 years ago. There are 2 types:
Primary Sources -
a first hand account left behind by someone who took part in or witnessed the event.
Treaties, letters, diaries, laws, court documents, pictures, clothing
Secondary Sources –
information gathered secondhand by someone who did not take part in or witness an event.
Examples include history textbooks, journal articles, and encyclopedias.

19. Why information about history changes -
Secondary source authors disagree about information
New evidence emerges
New ideas come about

20. What is Geography? Geography is the study of places and people
Studying location is important to both physical and human geography.
Geography and history are closely connected

21. Physical Geography Landforms – natural features of the land’s surface
Climate – Pattern of weather conditions over a long period of time
Environment – all living and nonliving things that affect life in the area.

22. Human Geography
The study of the earth’s people including their way of life, homes and cities, beliefs and travels.

23. Historian/Archaeologist vs. Geographers

24. Exit Question
In your binder list 2 ways archaeologists and geographers help inform the study of history.