Artifact Analysis Worksheet
Name: ______________________
Date: ______________
Mailbox: _________________
Artifact Number: ______________
1. TYPE OF ARTIFACT: Describe the material from which it was made: bone, pottery, metal, wood, stone,
leather, glass, paper, cardboard, cotton, wood, plastic, other material.
___________________________________________________________________________
2. SPECIAL QUALITIES OF THE ARTIFACT: Describe how it looks and feels: shape, color, texture, size,
weight, movable parts, anything printed, stamped or written on it.
3.
USES OF THE ARTIFACT
A. What might it have been used for? ________________________________________________
B. Who might have used it? ________________________________________________________
C. Where might it have been used? __________________________________________________
D. When might it have been used? ___________________________________________________
4. WHAT DOES THE ARTIFACT TELL US?
A. What does it tell us about technology of the time in which it was made and used?
_____________________________________________________________________________
B. What does it tell us about the life and times of the people who made it and used it?
______________________________________________________________________________
C. Can you name a similar item today?
______________________________________________________________________________
D. What can you infer about the society’s:
Politics:
 What type of government do they have? ______________________________________________
 Who rules? _____________________________________________________________________
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 Who votes? ____________________________________________________________________
 How involved is the government in their daily lives? _____________________________________
Religion:
 Do you think this society is very religious? ____________________________________________
 Is it a “centralized” or highly organized religion(s)? ______________________________________
 Or, does everyone “do their own thing”? ______________________________________________
Economics:
 What do most people do for a living? _________________________________________________
 Is cash or barter more widely practiced? ______________________________________________
 How do most people get their food? (Make or buy?) _____________________________________
 If they grow their own, do they have “extra” food to sell/trade? _____________________________
 Describe the society’s land. ________________________________________________________
 Is this society “wealthy”? (What can you use to determine if a society is wealthy?) _____________
Military
 Is the military very important in this society? ___________________________________________
 Is the military primarily for internal control or external defense? ____________________________
 Does this country’s military have very advanced weapons? _______________________________
 How much land/territory does this society control? ______________________________________
Society:
 How much “free time” do most people have? ___________________________________________
 What did they do for fun? __________________________________________________________
 Describe the type of housing most people they live in. ____________________________________
 How “advanced” was the society? ____________________________________________________
 How educated is this society? _______________________________________________________
 Are most people “educated”? ________________________________________________________
 How advanced is the medical care? (What statistic could you use to determine this?)
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