14. What is the relationship between history and archaeology?

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History and Archaeology are related because through archaeology, we discover things about the past. We learn about past cultures and societies, showing how much the world has changed over time. Everything discovered on an archaeological dig was alive or in use a long, long time ago. Exploring these things teaches us about the people that came before us so many years ago. The theories that are developed by archaeologists and historians help us to shape all of our beliefs and our own versions of reality.

An example of how archaeology has affected history is the uncovering of the Tarim mummies and other priceless objects along the silk-road in China. Over 150 ancient objects were found along with three mummies that were amazingly and beautifully preserved from over 2,000 years ago. "The discovery and intensive study of the mummies of the Tarim Basin have completely reshaped our understanding of the development of civilization during the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age." says Victor Mair, professor of Chinese Language and Literature at the University of Pennsylvania. These mummies have been so well preserved that we can see exactly what they looked like when they were alive. All of the objects that were buried with or near them are priceless and tell so much about civilization back then.

Sources: Manual pg. 6, Uncovering Mysteries of the Silk Road: [1] This can only be reached by logging into the Gale Database. RB

~Mary Shannon Tompson