Archaeology is essential to our understanding of history. As we know, history uses many types of source to learn about the past, including written, visual, aural and oral. However, only part of history can be told using these sources. We also need evidence for the early history of people – our prehistory, or the time before writing – and this comes from material and tactile things such as artefacts and bodies.
In this chapter, we will learn about the important job of the archaeologist.
How do we know about the past? Type of source Category
Primary Primary
Tactile Tactile
WORKING WITH THE EVIDENCE! —————————————
—————————— Example
A gold lunula artefact from the Bronze Age The Brockagh Axe artefact from the Bronze Age
The Brockagh Axe and sheath
Gold lunula
The period when people made tools and weapons using bronze is known as the Bronze Age (2,000– 500 BC). What can each of these sources tell us about the people who lived then?
