click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
history chapter1
finding out about the past
Question | Answer |
---|---|
what is an archaeologist? | a person who studies what people have left behind |
what is stratigraphy? | this is the study of layers and soil |
what is an artefact? | a man made object archaeologists study |
what is pre history? | history before written records were kept |
what do archaeologists do? | they have to study artefacts and ancient ruins in order to build up a story of what life was like thousands of years ago |
what are the three stages that pre history can divided up into? | the iron age the stone age and the bronze age |
why does pre history have different groups? | because of the type of material they would make in that stage |
why do archaeologists have to dig in order to find evidence from the past? | because soil is formed when plants and trees die and this forms extra layers making us higher than those who lived thousands of years ago, therefore their objects would be low underneath ground |
what is aerial photography? | photographs taken from the air to show ancient remains that would not be visisble by looking at the site from the groynd |
what are crop marks? | grass and crops will grow differently if there is an ancient building ditch or wall underneath the ground |
what is a geophysical survey? | a method that involves the use of metal detectors or other electronic probes to pick up objects or features underground |
what is field walking? | this involves walking along the site and looking for any tiny objects that may be of intrest |
what is local knowledge? | old maps, oral evidence or nearby finds may lead an archaeologist to a particular area |
what is trial trench? | is dug to see if a site is worth excavating |
when can sites be discovered accidently? | ground being distributed for development such as building or pipe laying |
what is rescue or salvage archaeology? | when archaeologists have to act fast after discovering an accidental site and save as much evidence from the past before the site is destroyed |
explain how carbon dating 14 works? | all living things contain a chemical called carbon 14 and when they die the carbon 14 decreases allowing archaeologists to work out its age |
what is carbon dating 14? | a method archaeologists use to find out the age of something |
how accurate is carbon dating 14? | 50000 years |
what is dendrochronology? | this is the type of investigating when archaeologists study tree rings |
what is a drought? | a long period of dry weather |
how does dendrochronology work? | each ring represents a year of the trees life and the thickness depends on good or bad seasons |
how would you tell how the tree was during its life? | if the tree rings were wide apart it usually means the weather was warm and reasonably wet. and if the tree rings were close together it can mean that there was a drought |
what is an archive? | a place where documents from the past are kept |
what is a census? | a survey of the population in a country |
what is a primary source? | a source made or written at the time |
what is a secondary source? | a second hand source , written or made by someone who was not a witness to the event |