Opening Activity (9/9/10)
• In your own words, define what you think history is. What is the purpose of it? Why do we study history?
• Keep your notebooks, we will use them at the end of class too. I will show you where you can leave them at the end of class.– Get out your signed syllabus…
Fields of Social Studies(Archeology, History, Geography)
It isn't just history folks!!
What is Archeology??
• By Definition: The study of early human’s ways of life and patterns by examining their physical remains (artifacts)
• What is an Artifact? An object made and used by humans
Examples: • Tools - Jewelry• Pottery - Weapons• Clothing - Symbols and Artwork
Why do we need Archeology?
• Early humans left no written record of what they did or accomplished, thus Archeologist find artifacts and use them as clues to uncover the mystery of prehistoric people
• What other job (think about it carefully) would you most likely compare an archeologist’s job to?
How do Archeologists do this?Archeologists first have to locate and dig up the
remains of early humansBasic Tools: • Brushes of all sizes• Maps• Shovels• Rope• Paper• PansMore Advanced Technology:• Metal Detectors• Computers• X-Rays• CT Scanners• DNA
How does an archeologist know how old something is?
Methods of Dating Artifacts that are Discovered• Cultural Dating – the process of comparing objects found with
information already known• Dendrochronology – the oldest form of scientific dating,
technique counts tree rings• Radio Carbon Dating – technique which uses radioactive carbon
content of an archaeological discovery. Measures the amount of carbon remaining to give the object an age
• Stratigraphy – the study of the remains that are found in various layers of soil and rock
• Potassium-Argon Dating – usually used when working with volcanic rock
Example of an Archaeological Site that is truly puzzling
STONEHENGE (England)• From the Neolithic Era
(Bronze Age)• Still baffles Archaeologist
to this day • No one knows for sure how
and why this site was created– Although there are many
theories and suggestions put forward all the time
What does a Historian do??
• History is the study of the past through the use of written records and visual evidence (symbols, shrines, etc…) left behind by humans
• PREHISTORY = the study of the past before the invention of writing and record keeping
“So essentially history of humanity begins with the invention of written language”
Two types of historical evidence used by historians• Primary Sources = these are
written records that were created in the period that a historian studies– Examples – Journals,
Government Documents, Artwork from the time period, Newspaper Articles, Literature written during the time period
Can you think of an example of a primary source that would tell us more about the Ancient Egyptians?
The Other Type of Historical Evidence• Secondary Resources = these
are written documents written after the time period (usually based off of primary evidence)
– Examples – Text Books, Biographies, Academic Articles, Non-Fiction Literature
Can you think of a problem that can arise from using only secondary resources to study a topic in history?
A Graphic Organizer of Historical Analytical Methods
Geography and Geographers• Geography is basically the creation and study of
maps and spatial relationships (called proxemics – think of proximity!?!?)
• Fields of Geography– Physical – study of the land itself– Human – study of human interactions, culture and
migrations to and from a certain area– Political – Study of political boundaries, capitols and
how geography influences these aspects of nation-states
Maps and Map Making• Cartography = The study of maps and map making• Cartographer = Someone who analyzes and area
makes maps
• Latitude (Parallel to each other - Lateral) and Longitude (All intersect at the north and south poles – all long) – lines created that help identify a location on Earth
• Prime Meridian – ‘0’ degrees Longitude (runs through Greenwich, England)
• Equator – ‘0’ degrees Latitude
Latitude and Longitude
Two Hemispheres you have to know
Who would be best equipped to handle the job?
• I am going to show you a few different pictures and scenarios and for each one you need to tell me whether a historian, archeologist or geographer would be best suited to handle the job
– Don’t call out the answer and please tell me why you chose the person to handle each job
Which Person Would Use These?
And what about these????
Map Guessing Game (with a partner or alone)
• Rules– I am going to show you different major features of
the world’s geography (five at a time) and you have to list them on your own sheet of paper and then fill them in on your map
– There is no talking or giving hints to other participants
– Winner receives three extra credit points (if with a partner you both get three points)
Exit Question (9/9/10)A site in India is discovered that is believed to about 3500
years old • The site contains planned out city streets and buildings and
also looked as if it traded with other regions. • The society here had a massive temple and multiple public
baths and government buildings. • Just arriving on the site is a team of Britain’s finest
archeologist and historians. – Your task, tell me what the archeologist would do at this site and
what the historians would do in order to learn about the people of this city and their culture… (two examples for each job)
– Try to include something a geographer could do at this site to help the team of researchers best understand the society here
