1. Archaeology
1st Yr

2. Archaeologists Historians study written sources
Archaeologists study artefacts
Archaeology is the study of the remains…
…left by people in the past
They study skeletons, tools, jewelry, weapons.

3. Sites Site – the place where artefacts are discovered
Could be anywhere
Midden – an ancient rubbish heap
Contains many valuable artefacts
Not valuable in money, but in information
Food eaten; pottery and weapons used; clothes worn

4. What is prehistory? Period in time before writing was invented
We have no written sources
..so we must study artefacts from this time
…if we want to find out about their lives

5. Choosing archaeological sites
Rescue archaeology – when land is being cleared for building or roads
Research archaeology – evidence that objects might be there – could come from old documents or maps
some artefacts are just found by accident

6. Famous sites Wood Quay in Dublin (Vikings)
Ceide Fields in Mayo (Stone Age farm)
Pompeii in Italy (Ancient Rome)
The Pyramids in Egypt

7. Dating artefacts Digging in the ground looking for artefacts
Called a ‘dig’
Steps:
Preparation – a survey is carried out
Aerial photos taken
A plan or detailed map is made out
The site is divided into squares or grids
Each grid is numbered
The site is cordoned off with rope

8. The Dig Topsoil removed by JCB or spades
Then layers of earth scraped away
A trowel is used
Hand-pick loosens soil
Must be very careful
Sieves used to find small objects in the soil

9. Artefact Toothbrushes used to clean earth from it
Photo taken of the artefact
The artefact is labeled and the grid number noted
Then put in a plastic bag
Brought to lab

10. Dating artefacts Try to find out how old the object is
A number of ways:
Stratigraphy – The position of the object in the soil – the deeper it is the older it is
Carbon Dating – all living things (plants and animals) contain carbon dioxide – after death the carbon leaks out – by measuring how much carbon is left we can discover how long ago it died
Dendrocronology – Can only be used to date wooden objects – each year a tree grows a new ring – age of the wood = number of rings

11. Soil Even if no artefact is found the soil contains info
Dark round patches = post-holes
Timber posts used in houses
Square dark patch = fireplace

12. Revision: Sources An eyewitness account The film ‘Michael Collins’
A modern biography of Julius Caesar
An autobiography
A school history book
A photograph
A census
The novel ‘The boy in the striped pyjamas’

13. A Dig Write down 8 things that an archaeologist must do at a dig
Survey, pictures, cordon off, make grid
Remove topsoil, dig with trowels, toothbrush soil away
Catalogue the artefact
Date it

14. Q. What problemts might we have in analysing a written source?
Bias
Prejudice
Wrong Information
Lies

15. Dating artefacts
Pick one way of dating an artefact and explain it.