Investigating the Ancient Past

What is a Historian?

• Someone who studies or has expert knowledge of natural or physical science.

• Someone who is a professionally cooks in a hotel or restaurant.

• Someone who writes or studies about the past.

• Someone who studies human history and prehistory through the excavation of sites.

What is an Archaeologist?

• Someone who writes and studies about the past.

• Someone who studies or has expert knowledge in natural or physical science.

• Someone who studies human history and prehistory through the excavation of sites.

• Someone who professionally cooks in a hotel or restaurant.

Tick the boxes that are characteristics of a historian (more than one can be ticked).

• Studies and writes about the past.

• Use the past to build an image of societies, individuals and events.

• Excavates or digs in the ground to find evidence of past civilisations.

• Participates in field work (digging).

• Looks at texts to understand and write about the past.

Fill in the blank.

Primary sources are ____________-hand accounts of objects from an event, topic or historical time period.

• first

• second

• third

• primary

A secondary source is a ____________-hand account that interprets primary sources.

• first

• second

• third

• primary

Read the following text and determine whether it would be a primary or secondary source.

A historians perspective on the rise of Hitler.

• Primary source.

• Secondary source.

Read the following text and determine whether it would be a primary or secondary source.

A World War II soldier uniform.

• Primary source.

• Secondary source.

Read the following text and determine whether it would be a primary or secondary source.

The original Captain Cook journal

• Primary source.

• Secondary source.

Read the following text and determine whether it would be a primary or secondary source.

An unedited photo of a 2,000+ year old Aboriginal rock art.

• Primary source.

• Secondary source.

What type of source is this?

• Primary source.

• Secondary source.