Turtle Island: The Story of North America's First People

Turtle Island: The Story of North America's First People — page 9
The Story Science Tells Archaeology is a science that gives us another way to discover the past Archaeologists study physical remains to piece together what happened thousands or even millions of years ago We leave traces behind after we are gone our tools clothing art garbage and even bones and teeth Over time floods or landslides or layers of earth rocks or water can cover those traces Archaeologists uncover those signs of life They dig in the ground dive underwater and even use satellite technology to find clues to the past One small piece of bone or stone can be like a book full of information if you know how to read it How Old Is It Science Answers the Question Relative Dating Archaeologists use relative dating to tell the age of an artifact Let’s say you find a porcelain tea cup decorated with violets If you find porcelain saucers nearby that are the same color are made of the same material and have similar decorations of violets relative dating might lead you to assume the cup and saucers are the same age Often relative dating takes into account layers of findings assuming that older objects will be found buried below things that are newer But relative dating has limits For instance soil and the objects in it can be moved by flowing water construction work and even worms In the Northwest totem poles often carved from huge red cedar trees are a way to record and remember important events from the past 12 FindinG our WAy to the pAst