Investigating The Past: History, Archoelogy, And Science Flashcards
(49 cards)
Can history change?
No, but our understanding of it does due to the development of technology and discoveries of artifices
What do historians rely on?
Written documents
Methods historians use
Collection, analysis and interpretation. Begins with a hypothesis and concludes with a conclusion that proves/disproves theory
What is archaeology?
The knowledge of the past, from the study of ancient things
What do archaeologists rely on?
Material remains from the past
Methods archaeologists use
Excavation in order to understand history
List the different types of surveying methods
Ariel, satellite technology, surveying techniques, and geophysical surveying
What is Ariel surveying?
Photographs taken from the sky to expose ancient remains
Explain the different types of Ariel surveying
Crop marks: crops present where ancient remains are tend to grow smaller and slower
Soil marks: when soil is ploughed where ancient remains are it is darker
Shadow marks: visible when low mounds or earthworks cast shadows when the sun is high up in the sky
Explain what Satellite technology is
Photography from satellites orbiting in space, taking over 200 Ariel mapping photos. It aids in helping find potential sites for excavation.
Surveying techniques
Simple observations with a team of walkers fanning over the site, noting its physical feature.
Explain the types of geophysical surveying
Ground penetrating data: radar signal in the form of electromagnetic pulse directed into the ground. Receiver records buried objects
Resistivity surveying: passes an electric current between two metals probes to measure soil resistance
Magnetic surveying: magnetic properties of materials are detected using a proton magnometer
Explain the types of excavation methods
Grid system: study of the vertical dimension of a site, revealing the time sequence of layers exposed
Open area excavations: focus on the horizontal layers of a side by uncovering the whole site layer by layer.
Baulks: vertical record of the sequence of layers in relation to each other. Later revealed to expose the whole site
Strata
Layers exposed during excavation, which are tagged with labels to differentiate them from one another.
Sites generally do not have regular strata, they can be mixed from climate and natural disasters making it difficult to examine
Stratigraphy
The study of strata, based on the principle that the oldest materials are buried lowest
Sources
Anything that has survived from the past
Evidence
Information gathered from sources
What do archaeological sources provide?
Give details that are missing from written records. Deal with the public rather than private life
Questions to ask about archaeological sources
What is it? In what context was it found? How does its conditions affect interpretations? Reliable/useful? Accurately dated? Evidence?
Questions to ask about written sources
What type of written source is it? Who wrote It? When? Intended audience? Reliable/useful?
Reliability and usefulness
If the answers to these questions are uncertain, reliability is questioned. Sources can be unreliable and still useful.
Considerations about reliability
Author
Purpose
Intended audience
Bias
Nature of sources and evidence
Facts Opinions Bias Gender bias One sided accounts
Facts
Generally accepted without dispute
