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This short in-class exercise will show students how archeologists learn from artifacts, what they can tell us about an individual and a culture. It is a simple exercise and involves the students with their own material things so the message of the lesson should be easily understood.
Each student brings in something from their room at home that says something about them. It can be a favorite toy, a book, a piece of clothing, or a picture. It might be good to have each student present the object briefly then have them lay it on a table. At the end all the objects will be laid out to view.
The analysis can be done one of two ways; either each student explains his/her "artifact" or they are exchanged making sure no one gets their own. Then each student explains what the "artifact" would tell an archeologist about the person who owned it, how old they might have been, and what the object was used for. Be sure to discuss what the object is made of and if it would survive in the ground for hundreds of years, or if it is a material that is can only be found in the twentieth century and later. For instance, plastic won't be found on a colonial site, but iron will. Iron can be found on both twentieth century and colonial period sites. Now, ask these questions of the students "artifacts." What can be determined about the culture that generated this collection of objects? Are all types of people represented? Are only children represented? Where did the objects come from, were they all manufactured by that culture, were some made elsewhere, could those have been purchased or traded for?
Sum up the exercise by discussing the kinds of conclusions that were made about the owners of the objects that are on display, and the cultural implications of this assortment of "artifacts." The implications might be that the culture was all 5th graders based on this collection, or that the culture had industrial techniques in plastic, metal, glass, etc. Have the students write down their conclusions about the culture represented by this group of artifacts.
Then ask the students what would be left if their rooms burned or were suddenly buried and found 1000 years from now. What would be missing and what would an archeologist be able to tell about them and their family from only the artifacts that survive. These are the parameters that archeologists have to work with, only the artifacts from a culture that survive in the ground. Although it is only part of the materials a culture had, archeologists can determine many things about how a society functioned from the remains they do find. Now go back and discuss the "artifacts" from the first part of the exercise. How many would survive in the ground for several hundred years. Take only those that will last and make conclusions based on only those artifacts. The students should write down their conclusions again and see the differences between this step and the previous one.
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