History Exam 1 2024

• history is information about the past that is recorded in writing or by other means, especially in the form of documents
• History is also defined as the study of change over time, or as the memory of humankind.
• History is an account usually written of events past.
• Historians are people who write about history
• Primary sources are original materials written during an event or period being studied.
• Secondary sources are interpretations of primary sources made by historians.
• History can be used to understand how we got here today
• History helps us make sense of our world
• Archaeologists are people who dig up things to find out what happened in the past
• Secondary sources are accounts based on primary sources.
• Artifacts are objects that have been created or modified by humans.
• Archaeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material remains.
• History allows us to see the present as part of a larger story
• History helps us make sense of our world, it gives us context about what has happened in the past that affects us now
• History teaches us about human nature
• History teaches us lessons about human behavior
• Archaeological site


  Where objects get buried over time, with the oldest things at the lower levels and more recent material closer to the modern surface
• Archaeologist's work

  1. Record the level of soil the object is found at

  2. Record objects nearby

  3. Learn from the soil
• Archaeological sites are rich and dense with information
• If we only take the most beautiful/precious objects and discard the everyday items, we lose a lot of information about the culture
• 21st century archaeologists


  • Interested in the discovery and conservation of objects
  • Committed to preserving the contextual information
• Looting of archaeological sites disrupts the context and destroys the ability to tell the full story
• Privileging the object over the context means losing most of the story
• Archaeology is always destructive, as it involves undoing the layers of the past
• Archaeological record will always have gaps, so contextual interpretation is crucial to fill in the missing pieces
• We need to preserve archaeological contexts and discourage looting to tell the full human story
• Primary sources are original documents, artifacts, or other materials from the time period being studied.
• Archaeological site


  Where objects get buried over time, with the oldest things at the lower levels and more recent material closer to the modern surface
• Archaeologist's work

  1. Record the level of soil the object is found at

  2. Record objects nearby

  3. Learn from the soil
• Archaeological sites are rich and dense with information
• If we only take the most beautiful/precious objects and discard the everyday items, we lose a lot of information about the culture
• Looting of archaeological sites disrupts the context and destroys the ability to tell the full story
• Soil matrix


  Provides information about elements in human diet, and what people were growing for food and decoration
• Archaeology is always destructive, as it involves undoing the layers of the past
• We need to preserve archaeological contexts and discourage looting to tell the full human story
• Excavations involve digging into the ground to uncover artifacts and other evidence from the past.
• History can be used to understand current events
• History teaches us lessons from the past so we don't repeat mistakes
• History provides insight into why certain events occurred
• History provides insight into how people lived their lives