How do historians and archaeologists find out about the past?

Answer 1

This is a complex question, to really really simplify. Anthropologist study all aspects of culture (modern. past, Linguistic or language, and biological), archaeologist study just past culture(s) material remains by comparing it to modern/historical culture(s) material remains. Just remember this is a really big complex field that usually takes me an entire college semester to teach just the basics, so start reading and researching it, can be a life-time pursuit/obsession. Answer: They use all of the same techniques that you see on investigative crime dramas on TV ( Like Bones or CSI). These include: * DNA evidence * Physical remains * Waste products * Food scraps * References from contemporaries * Notes and paintings * Dedronchronology * Fingerprints * Examination of bodies * Evidence of wounds * Legends

Answer 2

By looking at evidence they can judg on what happened e.g. when a historian finds loads of buried skeletons and many of them have gashes on the bones the historian can say that it might have been a war and because it was gashes, therefore swords it was somewhere aroung 18th century (probably not)

Answer 3

Prehistory is not a subject which can be studied from books as such. It all starts with the archaeologist, who discovers a site which dates back to a period before writing (hence the term prehistory, where history is taken to mean the written record).

The archaeologists then try to make an educated guess on the past based on the evidence which survived till the present. They do this by consulting work done by anthropologists, to see if there are any similarities between the habits and rituals of people still alive today, with the material evidence which survived in the archaeological deposit.

Unfortunately, the study of prehistory is not always an accurate science. We are trying to study a whole culture based on the few pieces of materials which survive the millennia. Depending on how far back we are referring to, the only surviving evidence could be evidence of living quarters, fire, tools, bones, ceramics and art (in general).

To put it in a very abstracted form, it is almost like a crime scene investigation without the gore, and the possibility of questioning suspects (in other words, suspected theories).

Answer 4

There are many ways to find out. One way is to dig up the cities and villages of the past. There they find how people lived, what they ate, who they worshiped. Today many modern cities are over layers of ancient cities and there are still streets, remains of homes and churches. Graveyards also provide a lot to learn from. How people are buried and where gives a great deal of information. The letters that people wrote and diary entries tell much as well as the art that was created. The weapons used in war tell about people and how far advanced they were in using ores for weapons. Everything a person or society does leaves evidence of their lives. We are doing that now too. Someday a historian will dig up a Pepsi can and wonder how it was used.

Answer 5

well in the 19 centry sapa inna was here and said tat

Answer 6

farts are very yummy