What can archaeology tell us about the past?

Archaeologists are interested in how people of the past lived, worked, traded with others, moved across the landscape, and what they believed. Understanding the past may help us better understand our own society and that of other cultures. Archaeology is a science that combines information from many different fields.

How reliable is archaeology as a source of history?

Archeological studies help us to date event e.g. the use of carbon-14 dating or radio carbon dating. It has been a reliable source of history since artifacts could be seen and felt. In archaeology, one is bound to use much guess work in the reconstruction of the past, thus leading to inaccurate information.

What is archaeology how does it find historical information?

Archaeology is the scientific study of past cultures through analysis of physical remains. Archaeologists search for and analyze these remains in order to understand something about the culture of the people that left them. Archaeologists often work closely with historians and anthropologists.

How does Archaeology help us understand history and culture?

Archaeology helps us understand not only where and when people lived on the earth, but also why and how they have lived, examining the changes and causes of changes that have occurred in human cultures over time, seeking patterns and explanations of patterns to explain everything from how and when people first came to …

What types of information can evidence reveal about past societies?

Historians and archaeologists study fossils, artifacts, and written records to learn about the past.

Why is archaeology important to history?

Archaeology provides us with the opportunity to learn about past cultures through the study of artifacts, animal bones and sometimes human bones. Studying these artifacts helps to provide us with some insight about what life was like for people who left behind no written record.

What are the limitations of written sources?

(1) It is expensive. Written records require a lot of time and resources to prepare, this makes them expensive to produce as compared to oral tradition. Also purchasing the written material is very costly. (2) Can easily be distorted or misunderstood.

What does archaeology tell us about the past?

For prehistoric archaeology, by definition, it tells us everything we know. In historic periods it tells us about the things that are generally not the focus of ancient texts such as everyday household life, the doings of everyday people, and events that may not reflect well on the author…

Can archaeological studies add a new dimension to investigations of the past?

[iii] Instead, it is argued that archaeological studies hold the potential to add a further dimension to investigations of the past. In adopting different approaches to the analysis of a broad range of material sources, new perspectives might be reached.

How do archaeologists use historical maps to find ancient artifacts?

Sometimes, archaeologists use historical map s to find ancient artifacts. In 1973, for instance, archaeologists used historical maps and modern technology to locate the wreck of the USS Monitor, an “ ironclad ” ship used by the Union during the Civil War. The Monitor sunk in a storm off the coast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, in 1862.

Why do archaeologists dig up bodies?

The excavation of buried remains is seen as the only way of obtaining information, or is seen as a way to ‘fill in the gaps’ left by a dearth of written sources (and often only in a way that supports the conclusions made written sources – however limited).