The Work of a Historian
What Historians Do
· Historians and Archaeologists gather evidence about the past from many sources:
§ Written e.g. books, letters
§ Oral e.g. interviews
§ Visual e.g. photos, drawings
§ Artefact e.g. weapons, tools
· Two kinds of Sources:
§ Primary Source – a source that comes directly from the past
§ Secondary Source – contains information about many periods/people from the past
· Reliable Source???
§ Bias – changing the truth by putting something in or leaving something out
§ Prejudice – pre-judging another person
§ Propaganda – trying to win someone to their point of view e.g. Advertisement
What Archaeologists Do
· Where to Dig??
§ Aerial Photograph
§ Near Old Ruins e.g. building
§ Written Sources
§ Sonar Imaging
§ Rescue Archaeology e.g. if an old building is to be replaced by a new one
· Preparing for an Excavation
1. Draw a large plan
2. Mark everything they find on plan
3. Use rope to mark out area of excavation
4. Gather tools to use – trowel/brush
5. Label collected artefacts
6. Put artefacts into plastic bag for further examination
· Post-Hole: dark, round patches in soil
Allows archaeologists to determine shape and size of houses
· Benefit of Pollen:
o If pollen came from Wheat, Oats or Beans then the locals were farmers;
o If pollen only came from Grasses/Tress then the locals hunted instead.
· Dating…..
Ø STRATIGRAPHY – Dating with Layers
If Artefacts found side by side
probably from same time.
Further from surface older it is.
Ø DATING WITH POTTERY – assumed that all people who liked one style of pot lived around the same time. Different design, different time.
Problem: Reliable?
Ø CARBON DATING – all living things have radioactive carbon…carbon leaks away over time which allows us to measure and determine how old something is.
Problem: 20% out
Ø DENDROCHRONOLOGY -
You can tell how old a tree is by counting the rings, one for each year of its life. The most accurate form of dating.
Problem: restricted to wooden artefacts ONLY!
People in History
§ AN ARCHAEOLOGIST OR HISTORIAN AT WORK
*You must mention all aspects of an Archaeologist’s work:
Choosing a site;
Preparing and Excavating a site;
Tools and Equipment used;
Finds and methods of Dating;
Final Report.
*You must mention two forms of dating objects while explaining one in particular.
*You must also mention two tools used by an Archaeologist.
Review Questions
1. What do the letters B.C. and A.D. mean?
2. Explain what a Secondary source is.
3. What is a Primary source?
4. List two examples of pictorial sources.
5. Give some examples of written sources.
6. What exactly is an artefact?
7. What is an Archaeologist?
8. What happens during an excavation?
9. How do archaeologists find places to excavate?
10. Name a famous archaeological site.
11. What method is used to find the age of a bone fragment?
Useful Websites:
www.channel4.com/history/timeteam/index.html
www.iol.ie/~sec/sites.htm
www.excavations.ie/pages/homepage.php
http://archnet.asu.edu/archnet/
www.heritageireland.ie/en/historicsites/
· Historians and Archaeologists gather evidence about the past from many sources:
§ Written e.g. books, letters
§ Oral e.g. interviews
§ Visual e.g. photos, drawings
§ Artefact e.g. weapons, tools
· Two kinds of Sources:
§ Primary Source – a source that comes directly from the past
§ Secondary Source – contains information about many periods/people from the past
· Reliable Source???
§ Bias – changing the truth by putting something in or leaving something out
§ Prejudice – pre-judging another person
§ Propaganda – trying to win someone to their point of view e.g. Advertisement
What Archaeologists Do
· Where to Dig??
§ Aerial Photograph
§ Near Old Ruins e.g. building
§ Written Sources
§ Sonar Imaging
§ Rescue Archaeology e.g. if an old building is to be replaced by a new one
· Preparing for an Excavation
1. Draw a large plan
2. Mark everything they find on plan
3. Use rope to mark out area of excavation
4. Gather tools to use – trowel/brush
5. Label collected artefacts
6. Put artefacts into plastic bag for further examination
· Post-Hole: dark, round patches in soil
Allows archaeologists to determine shape and size of houses
· Benefit of Pollen:
o If pollen came from Wheat, Oats or Beans then the locals were farmers;
o If pollen only came from Grasses/Tress then the locals hunted instead.
· Dating…..
Ø STRATIGRAPHY – Dating with Layers
If Artefacts found side by side
probably from same time.
Further from surface older it is.
Ø DATING WITH POTTERY – assumed that all people who liked one style of pot lived around the same time. Different design, different time.
Problem: Reliable?
Ø CARBON DATING – all living things have radioactive carbon…carbon leaks away over time which allows us to measure and determine how old something is.
Problem: 20% out
Ø DENDROCHRONOLOGY -
You can tell how old a tree is by counting the rings, one for each year of its life. The most accurate form of dating.
Problem: restricted to wooden artefacts ONLY!
People in History
§ AN ARCHAEOLOGIST OR HISTORIAN AT WORK
*You must mention all aspects of an Archaeologist’s work:
Choosing a site;
Preparing and Excavating a site;
Tools and Equipment used;
Finds and methods of Dating;
Final Report.
*You must mention two forms of dating objects while explaining one in particular.
*You must also mention two tools used by an Archaeologist.
Review Questions
1. What do the letters B.C. and A.D. mean?
2. Explain what a Secondary source is.
3. What is a Primary source?
4. List two examples of pictorial sources.
5. Give some examples of written sources.
6. What exactly is an artefact?
7. What is an Archaeologist?
8. What happens during an excavation?
9. How do archaeologists find places to excavate?
10. Name a famous archaeological site.
11. What method is used to find the age of a bone fragment?
Useful Websites:
www.channel4.com/history/timeteam/index.html
www.iol.ie/~sec/sites.htm
www.excavations.ie/pages/homepage.php
http://archnet.asu.edu/archnet/
www.heritageireland.ie/en/historicsites/
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