Chapter 03

Old Things, New Things — How We Know About the Past

Primary

Clues, artifacts and museums · thinking like an archaeologist

At a glance
Core ideaWith no time machine, we know the past only through the evidence it left behind.
Key termArtifact — any object made or used by people in the past.
You can…List what you see in an object, then make one careful guess (inference).
Watch outNever dress a guess up as a fact — say which is which.

Theory Key ideas

Nobody has a time machine — so how do we know anything happened before we were born? We use evidence: real objects, pictures and writing left behind by people who lived before us. An old object from the past is called an artifact — a coin, a pot, a tool, a toy. A scientist who digs up and studies artifacts is called an archaeologist.

Not everything survives. Stone, pottery and metal can last thousands of years buried in the ground. Cloth, wood and paper usually rot away much faster, unless they are kept somewhere very dry, very cold or very careful, like a museum.

Survives for thousands of years

  • Stone tools and carvings
  • Pottery — fired clay pots and shards
  • Metal — coins, blades, buckles
  • Lasts even when buried in soil

Rots away quickly

  • Cloth and clothing
  • Wood and basketry
  • Paper and parchment
  • Survives only if kept very dry, cold or protected

Explanation Why it matters

Studying the past is a bit like being a detective. A detective doesn't see the crime happen — they look at clues and figure out what must have happened. A historian doesn't see the past happen — they look at artifacts, old photos and old writing, and figure out what life must have been like.

Fact vs. guess

Historians are careful to say what the evidence proves and what is just their best guess (historians call a careful guess based on evidence an inference). Good historians never pretend a guess is a fact.

Practical Investigate an artifact

Artifact · an old metal lunch pail found in an attic
A dented metal box shaped like a small dome-topped suitcase, with a wire handle and a faded painted picture of a train on the side. Inside, a name is scratched into the metal: "T. Reyes."

Look: It's metal, dented, hand-painted — not printed. Ask: Who used it? When? Guess (with evidence): "T. Reyes" was probably a child who carried lunch to school; metal lunch pails with painted pictures like this were common many decades ago, before plastic lunchboxes were invented. Be careful: we can't know T. Reyes's exact age or what was inside — that would be a guess without enough evidence.

Your turn: Pick any old object at home or in a museum. Write down three things you can see, and one careful guess you can make from those clues.

Q&A Test yourself

What is an artifact?

Any object made or used by people in the past that survives to today — a coin, a pot, a tool, a toy, a piece of jewellery.

What does an archaeologist do?

An archaeologist carefully digs up and studies artifacts and old buildings to learn how people lived long ago.

Why do stone objects survive longer than paper or cloth ones?

Stone and pottery don't rot, so they can last thousands of years even buried in soil. Paper and cloth are made of materials that decay, insects eat, and water damages, so they only survive if kept somewhere protected, like a dry cave or a museum.

What is the difference between a fact and a guess (inference) in history?

A fact is something the evidence directly shows — "this pail is made of metal." A guess, or inference, is a careful idea based on the evidence but not proven for certain — "this pail probably belonged to a schoolchild." Good historians always say which is which.

Concept mind map

How the ideas connect

Every key idea in this chapter, branching from the core concept — use it to see the whole picture at a glance.

artifactscluesmuseumsold and newevidencesourcesarchaeologyHow We Know the Past
Infographic

The key facts, visualised

Artifact
An object made or used by people long ago
Source
Anything that gives us clues about the past
Museum
A place that keeps and shows old objects
Solved examples

Worked problems, step by step

Follow each solution line by line, then try to reproduce it on paper before moving on.

Example 1How would you investigate a mystery object from a museum?

  1. Look closely at what it is made of
  2. Guess what it might have been used for
  3. Compare it to things we use today

Example 2Why is an old coin a useful clue about the past?

  1. A coin often shows a date and a ruler's face
  2. It tells us about money and leaders
Practice problem set

Now you try

Work each one out first, then tap to reveal the worked answer.

1What is an artifact?
An artifact is an object made or used by people in the past, like a pot or a tool.
2Where can you see old objects safely?
You can see old objects in a museum, where they are kept and looked after.
3What can old writing tell us?
Old writing can tell us what people thought, traded and believed long ago.
4How is an old tool different from a new one?
Old tools were often made of stone or wood, while new tools use metal and plastic.
5Why do we call clues about the past sources?
They are called sources because they are where our information about the past comes from.