Internet Exercises

Chapter 2: Methods of Studying the Human Past

1. Access the virtual exhibit called “Gather Around This Pot” located at http://www.civilization.ca/archeo/ceramiq/cerart1e.html. How can archaeologists tell that these ceramics were made by different peoples? What are the pottery-making techniques used in Canada? What archaeological conservation techniques need to be applied in order to reconstruct the pottery?
   
   
2. Visit the Canadian Archaeological Radiocarbon Database, located at: http://www.canadianarchaeology.ca/ . Do some searches to see if there are any radiocarbon dates present for sites in your region. Why was this resource created? What do radiocarbon dates measure? What are some of the materials in the database that have been used to get a radiocarbon date for a site?
   
   
3. Access the site http://collections.ic.gc.ca/lady/exam.htm, which shows you some of the artifacts recovered from the steamship P.S. Lady Sherbrooke. What can the artifacts tell you about the people and what they did on the ship? How is an underwater archaeological excavation different from a surface excavation? What special considerations or techniques are needed?