Cultural artifact

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/cultural-artifact

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary analytical domains?Anthropology, ethnology, sociology, and archaeology
2. What is the chronological scope?Encompasses items from prehistory through to contemporary society
3. How do archaeologists find cultural artifacts?Archaeologists dig in layers of soil, called stratigraphy, and look for objects that have been buried. The layer tells them when the object was used.
4. Why are cultural artifacts important for learning about the past?They give real evidence of how people made tools, traded, and organized their societies. By studying them, we learn about technology, trade, and even religion.

Material Culture: The physical objects, resources, and spaces that people use to define their culture.
Stratigraphy: The study of rock layers and the sequence of events they represent in geological history.
Provenance: The place of origin or the history of ownership of an artifact or work of art.