Investigating the Past

                                

                                 

What is involved when we study ANCIENT HISTORY?

• How do we know what happened from the time of the earliest humans to the first great civilizations?

• We investigate like detectives!

• We ask questions.• We study the evidence for

clues.• We form hypotheses

(educated guesses).

What kind of expertsstudy the past?

Archeologists

Historians

Geographers

ArcheologistsArcheologists study the past by examining

objects that people have left behind.

These objects made or used by people in the past are called artifacts.

Some artifacts are:

clothing

tools

weapons

coins

Historians• Historians record the past.

Prehistorythe period of time before people began leaving written records

Historyanything in the past that people have left a record of

• How do historians find out what happened in the past?

Study all kinds of artifacts & documents

Read diaries & letters

Try to understand why events happened the way that they did

Geographers• Geographers study natural features and

man-made features of the Earth.

Natural Features

water

landforms

animalsplants

Man-Made Features

dams

bridges

roadstowns

Who Studies the Past?

Archeologists

• Study artifacts• clothing

• tools

• weapons

• coins

Historians

• Study and record the past• diaries

• letters

Geographers

• Study natural and man-made features• water

• landforms

• roads

• bridges

Assignment

• Write about two things you learned from each profession.