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Imagine you are participating in a dig at the site of an ancient civilization and you uncover the artifact shown in this photograph. Which of the following is the best conclusion to draw about that civilization?
Answers
Archaeology is the study of the human past using material remains. These remains can be any objects that people created, modified, or used.
Portable remains are usually called artifacts. Artifacts include tools, clothing, and decorations. Non-portable remains, such as pyramids or post-holes, are called features.
Archaeologists use artifacts and features to learn how people lived in specific times and places. They want to know what these people’s daily lives were like, how they were governed, how they interacted with each other, and what they believed and valued.
Sometimes, artifacts and features provide the only clues about an ancient community or civilization. Prehistoric civilizations did not leave behind written records, so we cannot read about them.
Understanding why ancient cultures built the giant stone circles at Stonehenge, England, for instance, remains a challenge 5,000 years after the first monoliths were erected. Archaeologists studying Stonehenge do not have ancient manuscripts to tell them how cultures used the feature. They rely on the enormous stones themselves—how they are arranged and the way the site developed over time.
Imagine you are participating in a dig at the site of an ancient civilization and you uncover the artifact shown in this photograph. Which of the following is the best conclusion to draw about that civilization? (4 points)
The people in the civilization were not extremely advanced.
The people in the civilization were skilled metal and woodworkers.
The people in the civilization used their hands or sticks as tools to survive.
The people in the civilization gathered all their food and water to survive.
