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History

What Can Objects Tell Us?

Overview

Students examine a set of objects and try to reconstruct what they can tell us about the people who made or used them.

Learning Objective
Students understand how archaeologists use objects to learn about past people and societies.

Resources needed

  • A collection of everyday objects (pot, tool, piece of cloth, food container, writing instrument)

Lesson stages

0 / 7 done
  1. 1 Explain: archaeologists find old objects and use them as evidence about the past.
  2. 2 Show an everyday object — do not name it.
  3. 3 Ask: what is this made of? What was it used for? Who might have used it?
  4. 4 Ask: what does it tell us about the people who made it? (technology, skills, materials available).
  5. 5 Show three more objects and repeat the analysis.
  6. 6 Ask: what would an archaeologist from the future learn about us from our objects?
  7. 7 Discuss: what can objects not tell us about the past?

Tap a step to mark it as done.

Variations

  • Bury objects in soil and have students excavate them carefully.
  • Compare a modern version and an ancient version of the same tool.
  • Students write a short account of daily life based only on the objects shown.
More information

Teach: archaeologist, excavate, artefact, evidence, material, infer, reconstruct. A sentence frame: 'This object tells us that people... because...'

Focus on one object only for groups who need more depth rather than breadth. The same analytical questions apply.

Can students make a reasonable inference from an object? Can they identify something the object cannot tell us?

Use everyday classroom or household objects. The analytical skill does not require genuinely ancient objects to develop.

Students think they need to know a lot to interpret objects. In fact, careful observation and logical reasoning are the primary skills needed.

Archaeology demonstrates that material objects are primary sources. It also builds the key historical skill of inference — moving from evidence to conclusion.

Activity details
Primary Medium 25 minutes 10 minutes prep Small Group Indoor & Outdoor
Topics
Archaeology Material Culture Evidence