Archaeo-Tech: Introducing Experimental Archaeology
Students brainstorm examples of artifacts archaeologists might find in prehistoric South Carolina and then analyze photos of real artifacts to understand how archaeologists use them to learn about past cultures without written records. They discuss how studying the artifacts' characteristics and comparing them to other archaeological finds helps us piece together the lives of those who made them.
Lesson Created By: MegGaillard
Lesson Partners: South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
Essential Question
How can archaeologists, despite the absence of written records, analyze the characteristics and contexts of artifacts to learn about the lives, cultures, and technologies of the people who made and used them?
Grade(s):
- 3
- 6
Subject(s):
Recommended Technology:
Other Instructional Materials or Notes:
Materials
• Lesson Handout (1 per student)
• Images of Pockoy Shell Ring artifacts (can be displayed to the class using a SMART board
or projector).
Lesson Progression
1. Before beginning this lesson, students should have a basic understanding of what archaeology is and be familiar with key vocabulary terms, like artifact, site, excavation, and prehistory. Students should also be able to draw on prior knowledge of prehistoric cultures in North America and South Carolina.
2. Begin the lesson by asking the class to define the term artifact. Have your students brainstorm examples of artifacts an archaeologist might find at a prehistoric site in South Carolina or in North America and make a list of your students’ answers on the board. Have your students use their knowledge of South Carolina or North American prehistory to answer this question. Take the time to correct students if they propose things that would not be preserved in the archaeological record.
3. Ask your students why archaeologists study artifacts. Stress that archaeologists study artifacts because they want to understand the people that made the artifacts.
4. Tell your class that they will now look at photographs of real artifacts from a prehistoric site in South Carolina that is approximately 4,000 years old (as old as the oldest pyramids in Egypt). Encourage your students to imagine what life was like in South Carolina 4,000 years ago.
5. Explain to your students that because prehistoric sites predate written records, there are no instructions on how these artifacts were made or used. Ask your students how archaeologists can determine how an artifact was made and used if there are no written records.
6. Show your class photographs of the shell tools, pottery, and bone pins from the Pockoy Island shell ring included in the resources tab.
7. On a sheet of paper, have your students make careful observations about the artifacts, noting what the artifacts are made of, the structure of the artifacts, and what these artifacts can tell us about the people that created them. If students are completely stumped, have them brainstorm hypotheses as a class or give them hints if necessary.
8. Explain that archaeologists study artifacts (and by extension the people that made the artifacts) by analyzing an artifact’s characteristics, by studying the artifact’s context and its relationship to other artifacts from the same site, and by comparing their findings to similar sites and other archaeological research. Explain that archaeologists are interested in how artifacts were made and used because it gives archaeologists a better understanding of the lives of past people. A subfield of archaeology called experimental archaeology involves recreating material culture and testing the lifeways of past people to test hypotheses and provide archaeologists with a better understanding of the past.
9. Show your students the Archaeo-Tech: Shell Tools video (linked in the resources tab).
10. Discuss the video with your students. What did they see in the video? How do archaeologists study past people and cultures in the video? How accurate were your students’ observations and hypotheses?
11. Look back at the artifacts from Pockoy. Ask your students to propose ways archaeologists could replicate and test the artifacts shown in the photographs.
Teacher Notes
differentiation: Provide struggling students with a guided observation sheet for analyzing the Pockoy Island artifacts. This sheet can include prompts and questions to direct their attention to specific features of the artifacts (e.g., material, size, shape, potential use marks). This reduces cognitive load and helps them focus on key details.
extension: Challenge advanced students to choose a specific artifact from the Pockoy Island site or another prehistoric site. They can research the materials, manufacturing techniques, and potential uses of the chosen artifact. Encourage them to consult scholarly articles, archaeological reports, and museum resources.
Shell Tools Video
Learn about Late Archaic shell tool technology along the South Carolina coast from experimental archaeologist Scott Jones.
View ResourceStandards
- 3.2.2.ER Identify and analyze the ways people interact with the physical environment in different regions of the state, the country, and the world.
- 3.4.1.PR Investigate the cultural characteristics of places and regions around the world.
- 6.1.CO Compare the development of social systems among the early river valley civilizations.
- 6.1.CC Analyze changes and continuities that influenced the organization and technological advancements of early and classical world civilizations.
- 6.1.E Analyze multiple perspectives on the political, intellectual, and social achievements of classical societies through a variety of primary and secondary sources.
Assessments
Use the observation sheet from step 7 of the lesson sequence to assess student learning outcomes.
