Chapter 1 – Studying the Ancient World

Section NotesClues from the PastPutting the Pieces Together

VideoArchaeology, History, and Geography

ImagesEvidence of the PastAncient CluesAn Artifact as EvidenceThe Legend of Troy

Quick FactsChapter 1 Visual Summary

MapsAncient Troy

Clues from the Past

The Big IdeaHistorians and archaeologists study fossils,

artifacts, and written records to learn about the past.

Main Ideas

• Historians and archaeologists look for clues in written records and artifacts.

• Other sources of clues include legends and luck.

Study History

• History is the study of the past.

• Historians learn about the past.

Curious about the

Past

• How, when, where, and why people did what they did

• Causes and effects

Historians

Mainly Use Written Works

• Laws• Speeches• Letters• Contracts• Poems • Carvings

Study History

• Use materials that people left behind

• Explore places where people lived, worked, and fought

Study Fossils

• Parts or imprints of something that was once alive

• Examples: ancient bones, imprints preserved in rocks

Archaeologists

Study Artifacts

• Objects created and used by humans

• Examples: arrowheads, coins, toys, pottery, and jewelry

Examples

Secondary source

Examples

Primary source

Account of an event created by someone who took part in or witnessed the event

Treaties, court records, diaries, letters, videos, or photographs of and actual event

Information gathered by someone who did not take part in or witness an event

Textbooks, encyclopedias, biographies, or videos describing events after they occur

Historical Sources

Legends

Luck

• Stories and legends can point scholars toward discoveries.

• Real people may have inspired legends.

• Can provide clues to locations

• Modern digging crews can uncover ancient sites.

• Unknown documents can be found when least expected.

Other Sources of Clues

Putting the Pieces Together

The Big Idea

Historians and archaeologists put written and unwritten clues together to learn about the past and sometimes to

revise their ideas about the past.

Main Ideas

• Using the evidence they have gathered allows historians to draw conclusions about societies in the past.

• Views of the past change because of new discoveries and new interpretations.

Main Idea 1: Using the evidence they have gathered

allows historians to draw conclusions about societies in the past.

• A society is a community of people who share a common culture.

• Clues can teach historians about social structure—the way a community is organized.

• Families are a very important part of a culture’s social structure.

– People can learn a lot about a culture’s family life from its literature and art.

Written sources such as political speeches can inform historians about political and economic systems.

Some sources, such as records, are useful for looking at people’s financial situations.

Politics and Economic Systems

Artifacts such as coins and obsidian offer clues as well.

Language

• Learning about ancient languages can be very difficult for historians.

• Clues like the Rosetta Stone showed the same message in Greek and Egyptian, making it easier to translate.

Art can show a group’s religious beliefs, such as the artwork in the Egyptian tombs.

Art also gives clues about a culture’s level of technology.

Art and Architecture

Architecture provides clear evidence about society. The buildings themselves can also hold clues.

Beliefs and Values

The Code of Hammurabi and Confucius’s teachings tell us about the importance of family and the value of justice.

Unwritten sources can also provide good information. Greek statues and vases show the importance the Greeks placed on sports.

Main Idea 2:Views of the past change because of new

discoveries and new interpretations.

• Historical evidence can change our understanding of when events happened.

• How we view a society can also change with new archaeological finds.

• New evidence can shed light on old stories.

New Interpretations

• The growth of democracy, the civil rights movement, and women’s movements have affected how we study history.

• Once rich and powerful people received most of the attention in history books, but that is changing now.

• Personal opinions of historians can also affect their views.

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