Year 7 History - Stratigraphy & Artefacts

What is stratigraphy?

• The study of ancient civilizations

• The study of soil and rock layers at an archaeological site

• The study of artifacts found in museums

• The study of fossils and prehistoric animals

What does the principle of superposition state?

• The oldest layers are at the top, and the youngest are at the bottom.

• Layers of rock and soil are created by earthquakes.

• The oldest layers are at the bottom, and the youngest are at the top.

• Artefacts are randomly distributed in an archaeological site.

Why is it important for archaeologists to keep each stratum (layer) separate during an excavation?

• To avoid damaging the artefacts

• To preserve the natural beauty of the site

• To match artifacts to the correct time period of the stratum

• To ensure that all artifacts are found quickly

How do archaeologists use stratigraphy to estimate the age of artefacts?

• By identifying and analyzing the layers where artefacts are found

• By cleaning and polishing the artefacts

• By comparing artefacts to modern tools

• By searching for artefacts in museums

What is the main goal of archaeology?

• To find gold and treasure

• To study fossils and ancient animals

• To understand what people of the past were like and how they lived

• To build replicas of ancient tools and buildings

What are artefacts?

• Natural objects like rocks and fossils

• Objects made by people, such as tools and decorations

• Living organisms studied by archaeologists

• Chemical substances used in excavation

If archaeologists discover tools made of bronze and tools made of iron in different layers, what can they infer?

• The tools were made by the same people at the same time

• The site was used for storing tools of all types

• The layers represent different time periods with different technologies

• The tools were used for trade with other civilizations

What can archaeologists infer if they find arrowheads and animal bones at an ancient site?

• The people were primarily farmers

• The people hunted animals for food

• The people made jewelry from bones

• The site was used only for religious rituals

If archaeologists find many grinding stones at a site, what can they infer about the people who lived there?

• They were skilled builders of stone walls

• They were hunters who used grinding stones as weapons

• They prepared and processed food, such as grains

• They used grinding stones for religious ceremonies

What is an inference in the study of history?

• A fact that is written on an ancient artefact

• A guess with no evidence

• A conclusion reached based on evidence and reasoning

• A timeline of events in chronological order