name date class period archeologist/historian training · motel of the mysteries: a satire on...

Name____________________________________________Date__________Class_______Period____

Archeologist/Historian Training

Directions:Workingtogetherasagroup,readeachquestionaloudtothegroupandthendiscusspossibleanswersandreasonsforchoosingthem.Makesurethateveryoneparticipates.Asyouexaminethedifferentexamples,considerthechallengesfacedbyarcheologistsandhistoriansinuncoveringthepastandrecordthemonyourorganizeratthebottomofyournotessheet.Archeological Evidence :WhichofthefollowingisNOTanartifact?Circleandexplainwhy.

Written Sources :IndicatewhetherthesourcesareprimaryorsecondarybywritingaPoranS._____WorldHistorytextbookwritingaboutthelifeofJuliusCaesar_____EyewitnessaccountoftheOttomanconquestofConstantinople_____Newspaperarticlediscussingthecurrentpresidentialelection_____AncientGreekHistorianwritingin440BCEaboutanEgyptianPharaohwholivedin1310BCEThe Ancient Coin :Youareanarcheologist,andyouhavejustbeenpresentedwithacoinbyamanwhoclaimstohavefounditbychanceinAfghanistanneartheborderofIran.HeinsistsitisanauthenticancientcoinfromthetimeofAlexandertheGreat.ItshowsthefaceofamanresemblingAlexander,andisevenmarkedwiththedate238BC.Isthecoinauthenticorisitaforgery?Howcanyoutell?

The Victorious King :YouareanhistorianexaminingroyalrecordsofanEgyptianPharaohfromthe18thDynasty.TherecordsmainlytellofthePharaoh’smanyvictoriesoverneighboringkingdoms,inwhichhisenemieswereutterlycrushedbyhissuperiorsoldiersandweapons.Thereisnomentionofasingledefeat.WoulditmakesensetoconcludefromthisevidencethatthePharaohneverlostabattle?Whyorwhynot?

Motel of the Mysteries :Asatireonarcheology,MoteloftheMysteriesmakesfunofthetendencyofsomearcheologiststospeculate(guess)andexaggeratewhenanalyzingtheirfindings.Inthebook,whichtakesplaceinthedistantfutureaftertheUnitedStateshascollapsed,archeologistsvisitwhatwasonceasmallroadsidemotel,whichtheymistakeforasacredburialchamber!Examinetheimagesandcaptionsbelowandthenanswerthequestions.

Ingeneral,whentheuseorpurposeofanobjectisunclear,whattypeofexplanationisoftengiven?Whatlessonsaboutarcheologyshouldwetakefromthesesatiricalmisinterpretations?

Theimageofthearcheologist’sassistantwearingthe“SacredCollarandCeremonialHeadband”(topleft)isanintentionalparodyoftherealimageofthewifeofHeinrichSchliemann,thearcheologistwhoexcavatedAncientTroy(andwasknownforinaccuratespeculation),wearingwhathecalledthe“JewelsofTroy,”whichwaslateridentifiedasadecorativebelt(topright).

Thearcheologistdescribesthe“GreatAltar,”atelevisionatopadresser(below),asfollows:“Thismagnificentstructure,towardwhicheverythingintheouterchamberwasdirected,representstheessenceofreligiouscommunicationaspracticedbytheancientNorthAmericans.…[it]wascapableofcommunicationwithalargenumberofgods…Belowtheexquisiteglassfaceoftheupperaltarareanumberofsealedspacesforofferings.”

Detaileddrawingofthefabulousdiscoverymadeintheinnerburialchamber(aboveleft).“WearingtheCeremonialHeadDress,[thebody]hadbeenplacedinahighlypolishedwhitesarcophagus…”

RelativeDatingMethodsForartifactssuchaspotterythat

changeinstyleovertime,archaeologistscangroupsimilar

artifactsandthenorderthegroupsintheseriesfromearlieststyleto

lateststyle.

Archaeologistscancreatethechronologyofartifactsbasedonthefactthat,ingeneral,olderartifactsarefoundinlowerlevelsofthesite

thenewerones.

Whentheagesofgeologicalfeaturesatthesiteareknown,archaeologists

canusethesedatestohelpdeterminetheagesofmaterial

remainsfoundnearthem.

AbsoluteDatingMethodsCoinsfoundinexcavationsmayhave

theirproductiondatewrittenonthem,ortheremaybewrittenrecordsdescribingthecoinand

whenitwasused,allowingthesitetobeassociatedwithaparticular

calendaryear.

Becausetheageofthetreecanbedeterminedbystudyingtheinsideof

itstrunk,archaeologistscandeterminefeartheaccuratepagesforstructuresbuiltfromwood.

Alllivingthingscontaincarbon-14,aradioactiveelementthatdecaysata

setrate.Archaeologistscanusecarbon-14levelstodatetheremainsofoncelivingitemssuchasbones,

wood,andash.

Howmightyoudeterminedtheagesof10potsfoundburiedunderthefloorthewoodenbuilding?

Discovery in Zimbabwe :YouhavebeeninvolvedinanarcheologicalexcavationofGreatZimbabwe,theruinsofacityinsouthernAfricathatwasabandonedhundredsofyearsagoandaboutwhichlittleisknown.YouandyourteamhavejustdiscoveredforeignartifactssuchasArabiancoinsandpiecesof

Chinesepotteryintheruinsofthecity!HowcanyouexplainthepresenceoftheseartifactsatthesiteofGreatZimbabwe,andwhatcantheypossiblytellusaboutthepeoplewhooncelivedinGreatZimbabwe?Explainyourtheorybelow.

Perspectives in Conflict :Youareresearchinganeventthattookplaceinthe1870swhentheEnglishexplorerHenryMortonStanleytravelledalongtheCongoRiverinAfrica,andyouhavecomeacrosstwoprimarysourcesthatseemtotellverydifferentstoriesofthesameevent.OneaccountisfromStanley,andtheotherisfromthechiefofthetribetheyencountered.Readtheaccounts,considertheperspectivesofbothmen,andtrytofigureoutwhatreallytookplace.

“Thecanoe-men,standingup,givealoudshoutasthey[notice]us,andblowtheirhornseverlouder.Therearefifty-fourofthem!Amonstercanoeleadstheway…theirbodiesbendingandswayinginunisonaswithaswellingbarbarouschorustheydrivedowntowardsus…Iturntotakealastlookatourpeople,andsaytothem,‘Boys,befirmasiron;waituntilyouseethefirstspear,andthentakegoodaim.Don’tfireallatonce.Keepingaiminguntilyouaresureofyourman.Don’tthinkofrunningawayforonlyyourgunscansaveyou.’”

–HenryMortonStanley“Whenweheardthatthemanwiththewhitefleshwas[coming]wewereopen-mouthedwithastonishment…Weassembledthegreatcanoes.Wesweptforward,mycanoeleading,theothersfollowing,withsongsofjoyandwithdancing,tomeetthefirstwhitemanoureyeshadbeheld,andtodohimhonor.Butaswedrewnearhiscanoestherewereloudreports,bang!Bang!Andfire-sticksspitbitsofironatus.‘War!Thatiswar!’Iyelled.”

–ChiefMojimba

Afteranalyzingthetwoaccounts,whatdoyouthinkreallyhappened?Wouldyouconsidereitherorbothoftheseaccountstobebiased?Whyisitimportanttoexaminemultipleperspectivesonthesameevent?Biasinsourcesisnotnecessarilyabadthing.Whatcanabiasedsourceshowthatanunbiasedsourcewouldnot?