chapter 3 vocabulary archaeology archaeology the recovery and study of the remains of the past
TRANSCRIPT
Chapter 3
vocabulary
ARCHAEOLOGY
archaeology
The recovery and study of the remains of
the past.
EXCAVATION
excavation
• The process of digging up the remains of the past.
PREHISTORY
HISTORY
history
A record of what happened in the past.
The study of the past when there WAS
writing
ORAL TRADITION
artifact
A human-made object of archaeological or historical importance
Oral Tradition
• The stories, myths, and legends passed on my word of mouth from generation to generation.
PRIMARY SOURCE
Primary Source
Information about people or events recorded at the time of the people or events
SECONDARY SOURCE
Secondary Source
Information about people or events recorded long after the time of the people or events
FOSSIL
fossil
The remains or imprint of a human, animal, plant, or insect.
More fossils
RADIOCARBON
DATING
Radiocarbon Dating
• A system for determining the age of an artifact based on the fact that carbon decay (diminish) or becomes less at a regular rate.
RADIOCARBON
DATING
Radiocarbon datinglimitations
• More than 1000 years old
• Less than 60,000 years old
How does radiocarbon dating work?
• All living things (plants / animals) absorb carbon from the atmosphere
• A small amount of the carbon is radioactive
When a plant or animal dies, it stops absorbing carbon.
The radioactive carbon absorbed when it was alive, then begins to
decay at a known rate.
• Archaeologists have figured out methods of measuring the amount of radioactive carbon left in objects like bones and wood.
• Using this information, they can figure out when a plant or animal died.
They can even figure out how long ago the tree used to MAKE an
artifact lived!!!
WOW!!!!!
HISTORIAN
historian• A person who writes or studies history