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Archaeology is the collection and study of artifacts in order to study past human culture and behavior. Archaeologists study humans who are no longer living. They study people who lived 50 years to 3 million years ago.
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An artifact is any item created or used by humans. Fossils are not artifacts because people did not make them. Examples of artifacts are jewelry, clothing, money, tools, houses, and many other things.
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This is why archaeologists do what they do. They are trying to learn about the past. There are three main things things archaeologists are trying to learn.
- Culture History. When, how, and why things changed over time. Archaeologists try to figure out what order things happened in, how artifacts have changed over time, and they try to explain why events happened.
- Lifeways Reconstruction. What people did in the past. This could be anything from the tools they made and how they used them, how and where they decided to live, how they organized themselves socially, and what their beliefs were.
- Culture Process. Over time archaeologists have developed theories on how people lives by the evidence left behind. They then created models or plans based on what they learned. These models are then used to explain new discoveries.
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Archaeologists work to teach others about archaeology. There are many ideas that archaeologists want to pass on to children and adults.
- Archaeologists are trying to show that we can learn about our past through archaeology.
- There is a proper way to do archaeology.
- Archaeology is a profession. It takes years of college to learn how to do it the right way. And that no one should dig up or take artifacts without proper training.
- Archaeologists want to help teach people why our culture is important and interesting and worth saving. This can be done through museum exhibits, television shows, documentary films, public lectures, public digs, or other workshops.
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