United States History Student Edition

You will learn about these skills and practice them throughout your study of American history. 7 CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING Determining Central Ideas What questions does history help us answer? Digging Up the Past GUIDING QUESTION What do students of prehistory look for? Since the invention of writing, people have recorded important events. These written records give historians a window to the past. Students of prehistory look into an even deeper past, one without writing. They must find a different way to explore the past. History and Science When historians do not have a written record to understand the past, they must use science to study history. As scientists, they study physical evidence to learn about our ancestors. Historians who are not scientists often work with those who are or use the information that scientists have found. Archaeology (ahr•kee•AHL•luh•jee) is the study of the past by looking at what people left behind. Archaeologists dig in the earth for remains of the past. They never know what they will find. They often discover artifacts (AHR•tih•FAKTS)– archaeology the study of objects to learn about past human life artifact an object made by people

Archaeologists may work with anthropologists to understand how ancient Native American peoples used artifacts, such as this prehistoric hoe.

objects made by people. Common artifacts include tools, pottery, weapons, and jewelry. Archaeologists also study human and animal bones, seeds, trees, mounds, pits, buildings, and even whole towns. Modern construction projects, even in large cities, sometimes uncover sites of archaeological interest. Scientists trained in paleontology (PAY•lee•AHN•TAH•luh•jee) also look at prehistoric times. Paleontologists study fossils to learn what the world was like long ago. Fossils are the remains of plant and animal life that have been preserved from an earlier time. paleontology the study of fossils to learn what the world was like long ago fossil plant and animal remains that have been preserved in the Earth’s crust

Archaeologists create a grid at their dig site so they can precisely record the location of each object they find.

(l)Pasquale Sorrentino/Science Source; (r)Carver Mostardi/Alamy Stock Photo

Historian’s Toolkit HT7