Investigating%20the%20Past

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Investigating the Past
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What is involved when we study ANCIENT HISTORY?

• We investigate like detectives!
• We ask questions.
• We study the evidence for clues.
• We form hypotheses (educated guesses).

• How do we know what happened from the time of the
  earliest humans to the first great civilizations?

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What kind of expertsstudy the past?
Historians

• Archeologists

Geographers
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Archeologists
Archeologists study the past by examining objects
that people have left behind.
These objects made or used by people in the past
are called artifacts.
Some artifacts are
tools
coins
weapons
clothing
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Historians

• Historians record the past.

Prehistory the period of time before people began
leaving written records
History anything in the past that people have
left a record of

• How do historians find out what happened in the
  past?

Read diaries letters
Study all kinds of artifacts documents
Try to understand why events happened the way
that they did
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Geographers

• Geographers study natural features and man-made
  features of the Earth.

Natural Features
Man-Made Features
water
towns
landforms
roads
plants
bridges
animals
dams
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Who Studies the Past?
Geographers
Archeologists
Historians

• Study natural and man-made features
• water
• landforms
• roads
• bridges

• Study artifacts
• clothing
• tools
• weapons
• coins

• Study and record the past
• diaries
• letters

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Assignment

• Write about two things you learned from each
  profession.