ARTIFACT ANALYSIS WORKSHEET
Select an artifact which interests you in the museum exhibit.
It can be an object or a written document.
Ar-ti-fact n 1. an object made by a human being
1. THE MATERIALS & PHYSICAL QUALITIES THE ARTIFACT
a. Describe the material it is made from (metal, stone, leather, clay, fabric, wood,
plastic or ?) and how it looks and feels: shape, color, texture, size, movable
parts, etc.
2. USES OF THE ARTIFACT
a. What might the artifact have been used for?________________________
b. How old do you think it is? _____________________________________
c. Who might have used it? ______________________________________
d. Where might it have been used _________________________________
3. WHAT DOES THE ARTIFACT TELL US?
a. What does it tell us about the time & environment in which it was created?
______________________________________________________________
b. What does it tell us about the needs & activities of the people who used it?
c. What does it tell you about the community and culture of the people who made
it and used it?
d. How does this artifact help us understand the similarities and differences of our
life and culture today with those of the maker and user of the artifact?
________________________________________________________________
A Sketch of
the Artifact
Created by Shari Davis, 2012, School Twinning Program, TA-LA Partnership, L.A Jewish Federation, sharidavis3@gmail.com
Adapted from Local History and Historic Preservation Conference; National Archives and Records Administration