Archaeologists
Study past human societies through material remains such as artifacts, structures, and biofacts.
What do archaeologists study?
They examine sources such as fossils, bones, books, and ruins.
What do historians examine to learn about the past?
Allow scientists to state the exact age of an object in years.
What is absolute dating?
Determines the relative ages of artifacts based on the layers of earth they are found in.
What is stratigraphy?
Howard Carter discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamun on February 16, 1923.
What significant discovery did Howard Carter make?
An opinion about what might have happened based on available evidence.
What is a hypothesis in historical research?
Determines whether an object is older or younger than another based on its geological context.
What is relative dating?
Assesses how long a bone has been buried based on the amount of fluorine absorbed from the soil.
What is fluorine dating?
This is a site where archaeologists excavate to find and study past human remains and artifacts.
What is an archaeological dig?
Historians need multiple sources to gather a comprehensive understanding of the past.
Why can't historians rely on only one source?
Radiocarbon dating and dendrochronology.
What are some examples of absolute dating technique?
Provides information about the type of organism and its genetic relationships.
What can DNA analysis tell us?
Examples include human skeletons, pottery, tools, and inscriptions.
What are some evidence that archaeologists can uncover from an archaeological dig?
Historians access organized collections of records, such as manuscripts and photographs, to find primary sources.
How do historians use archival research?
Measures the amount of C14 in a once-living organism to estimate how long ago it died.
How does radiocarbon dating work?
Involves extracting cylinders of ice to gather climate data from trapped air bubbles.
What is ice-core sampling?
They rope off or mark the site and divide it into grids for careful excavation.
How do archaeologists protect a dig site?
A method of gathering and interpreting personal accounts and memories of past events.
What is oral history?
The dating of trees by counting the growth rings in their trunks.
What is dendrochronology?
Studies pollen and other organic compounds in soil to understand historical plant life and climate changes.
What is Palynology?