The Tools of a Historian

Name: ____________________
Date: _______ Period: ________

Read pages TOOLS-TOOLS3

Section One

The Tools of the Historian

PAGE TOOLS
Your book states that an archaeologist studies human and animal bones. This is actually
the job of an anthropologist. In order to piece together a complete picture of history the
historian, archaeologist, and anthropologist must all work together.
1. A historian studies written records (primary and secondary).
2. An archaeologist studies artifacts (human made objects).
3. An anthropologist studies human remains (bones).
Thought Question
1. Choose an item from your life (CD, baseball card, etc.) that you own and list its
characteristics. What might this item tell future archaeologists and historians about life in
the 21st century?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Section Two

Measuring Time
Main Idea- Historians rely on calendars and dating of events to measure time.
Read PAGE TOOLS 1-3and complete the matching activity.
___1. Calendar ___ 2. B.C. (Before Christ) ___ 3. A.D. (Anno Domini)
___4. Century ___5. Prehistory ___ 6.time line
A. In the year of the Lord. The years that follow the birth of Christ
B. The period of time before the invention of writing
C. Before Christ
D. dating systems, to measure time
E. diagram that shows the order of events within a period of time
F. A period of 100 years
Other important vocabulary words
Astronomy- The science of the universe in which the stars, planets, etc., are studied
Solar Year- The time it takes the earth to revolve around the sun- 365 days
Lunar Year-There were some people in history who have used the moon to tell time. 12
cycles of the moon is equal to one lunar year. People do not use this anymore because it
is not as accurate as a solar year.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Discussion questions
1. Why has it always been so important for people of the earth to measure time?
2. Would your life be any different if we didnt measure time?
3. Why were astronomers often considered magicians in ancient civilizations?

Section 3-Timelines and B.C. and A.D. Worksheet

1. On the time line given below, place a dot where these dates are found: (be sure to label
using the letter.)
A. The year of Jesus birth
B. A.D. 500
C. A.D. 700
D. A.D. 350
E. 300 B.C.
F. 1650 B.C.
<-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
2000BC

1500BC

1000BC

500BC

1AD

500AD

1000AD

2. On the time line given below, please place a dot where these dates are found:
A. 500 years before the birth of Jesus
B. A.D. 36
C. 900 B.C.
D. 2100
E. 1492
F. 30 B.C.
<---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
1000BC

500BC

500

1000

1500

2000

3. On the time line given in question #2, shade in the years of your life (up to today).
4. Which years came first? Place a check next to the year that is farthest back in time.
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____

A.D. 54
376 B.C.
A.D. 1436
1000B.C.
1 B.C.
37
1976
653 B.C.
2000
3 B.C.

or
or
or
or
or
or
or
or
or
or

_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____

A.D. 36
532B.C.
1435
A.D. 1000
15 B.C.
32
A.D. 1978
553 B.C.
1853 B.C.
3100 B.C.

5. How Long Ago? It is a very simple math operation to determine how long ago a
particular year was. If the year is an A.D. year, subtract that year number from the
number of the present year. If the year is a B.C. year, add that year number to the
number of the present year.
1. A.D. 1066

2. 3000B.C.

3. A.D. 777

4. 56 B.C.

5. A.D. 3

6. 327 B.C.

7. 122 A.D.

8. 1884 A.D.

Section 4

History and Geography

Main Idea- Historians try to understand how climate, landforms, and human activities
have shaped past events.
Read PAGES TOOLS 6-7
1. Location: Define the following
a. Absolute location- ________________________________________________
b. Relative location- _________________________________________________
2. Place: What are the physical features and human characteristics that describe a place?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. Human/Environment Interaction: Give an example of human/environment interaction.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4. Movement: Through the movement of people and goods people exchange ________
and __________
5. Region: How would you define the region that you live in?
________________________________________________________________________
Section 5
1. Custom- a usual practice or a habitual way of behaving.
Give one example of a custom that you practice.
________________________________________________________________________
2. Tradition- customs passed down from one generation to another.
Give one example of a tradition that you practice.
________________________________________________________________________
3. What is the definition of oral tradition? Answer in a complete sentence.
________________________________________________________________________
Read page 9 then complete the following matching questions.
___4. Historian
___6. Prehistory
___8. Archaeologist ___10. Hypothesis
___5. Artifacts
___7. Culture
___9. Anthropologist
A. These people dig up and study artifacts to learn about the past.
B. Period of time before the invention of writing.
C. Weapons, tools, and other things made by humans.
D. An unproven theory tentatively accepted to explain certain facts
E. People in this profession study how humans developed by studying human remains.
F. A societys way of life that is passed down from generation to generation.
G. People in this profession study how people lived in the past using written records.

Section 6

How Does A Historian Work?

Read PAGES TOOLS 4-5
Main Idea-Historians study a variety of sources to learn about the past.
1. Define primary source and provide examples on the lines below.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. Define secondary sources and provide examples on the lines below.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. Understanding Evidence Suppose a friend wanted to write the history of your life so
far. What primary sources might he or she use to find evidence of your daily activities?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Historical Detection
Like a detective, the historian must evaluate the evidence (written records) to
determine if it is reliable. Do records of a meeting between two officials tell us what was
actually said? Who was taking notes? Was a letter writer really giving an eyewitness
report or just passing on rumors? Could the letter be a forgery? The historian tries to
find the answers. Historians must work hard to piece together a complete picture of
history.
Directions: You will analyze primary and secondary sources through the historical detection process.

What is the article about? Explain.

___________________________________________________________________
Is the article a secondary or primary source? Why?
___________________________________________________________________
What facts are stated in the article?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
What opinions are stated in the article?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
When and where was the article written?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Is the article historically accurate? Why or why not?
___________________________________________________________________

Archaeological Detection
Like a detective, the historian must evaluate the evidence (written records) to determine if
it is reliable. The historian tries to find the answers. An archaeologist goes through a
very similar process. The major difference is that an archaeologist studies artifacts not
written records. What is the artifact? Who used the artifact? What was the artifact used
for? When was the artifact used? Historians and archaeologists must work together to
piece together a complete picture of history.
Name of the artifact- _________________________________________________
What is the artifact? Explain.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Who used the artifact? Explain
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
What was the artifact used for? Explain.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
When was the artifact used? Explain.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Where was the artifact used? Explain.

Name of the artifact- _________________________________________________

What is the artifact? Explain.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Who used the artifact? Explain
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
What was the artifact used for? Explain.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
When was the artifact used? Explain.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Where was the artifact used? Explain.

Label the Continents and Oceans of the World

Continents
Africa
Antarctica
Asia
Australia
Europe
North America
South America

Area in Square Miles

11,688,000
5,100,000
16,999,000
2,966,000
4,017,000
9,366,000
6,881,000

Area in Square Kilometers

30,271,920
13,209,000
44,027,410
7,681,940
10,404,030
24,257,940
17,821,790

Using Your Skills

1. Why do you think the area in square miles is listed before square kilometers on the chart?
_______________________________________________________________________________
2. What can you conclude about the area of Europe when compared to other continents?
_______________________________________________________________________________
3. Which two continents areas added together equal about the area covered by the largest
continent?
________________________________________________________________________________
4. Why is the chart helpful in making comparisons?
________________________________________________________________________________
5. Is there
better way
toare
organize
this
chart?
Explain.
Usinga ChartsCharts
important
tools
for social
scientist, but they can be valuable tools for us when we
________________________________________________________________________________
need to organize many types of information. Charts also present information in a way that makes it easier
to draw comparisons and conclusions. The chart below lists the worlds continents and their areas.

Study Guide for Quest on Time and Archaeology

Vocabulary terms: calendar / astronomy / solar year / lunar year / century /
Anno Domini (A.D.) / B.C. / B.C.E. / archaeology / anthropology / historian / custom /
tradition / artifacts / prehistory / culture / hypothesis
Geography: be able to describe the 5 themes of geography.
Timeline: Be able to do how long ago questionssee your Timelines B.C. and A.D.
worksheet / be able to identify which years came firstsee your Timelines B.C. and A.D.
worksheet.
Continents: Identify 7 major continents> North America, South America, Australia,
Europe, Antarctica , Asia , and Africa
Oceans: Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Arctic Ocean
You will have word bank for the Vocabulary portion of this test.