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

prehistory

• The time BEFORE writing

                                                                                                                                                                                 

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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