Artifact Detective

LEARN.

Every state has its own State Historic Preservation Office with a team of skilled professionals who play a critical role in carrying out historic preservation in a variety of ways. Historic preservation helps to protect the items, buildings, and documents that help us understand what happened in the past. Why do you think it is important to understand the past?

The archaeology team with the Delaware State Historic Preservation Office is down a team member and needs your help! In this activity, you will try to identify artifacts collected from around Dover, Delaware. Once identified, you will put them into chronological order. Before you join the archaeology team, let’s make sure you understand what an archaeologist does. Click the drop down button below to reveal the answer.

What is an Archeologist?

A person who studies the human past by observing material items and objects, that humans once used, that are found in the ground. Archaeologists look at artifacts, ecofacts, and features.

• Artifacts: Objects made by human beings. Some common artifacts found in Delaware by archaeologists are: pottery, glass, stone tools, brick, and metal.

• Ecofacts: Natural objects used by human beings. Some common ecofacts found in Delaware by archaeologists are: bone, seeds, and oyster shell.

• Features: Parts of an archaeological site that relates to the people that lived there, but cannot be moved. Some common examples of features are soil stains, fire pits, and a hole from where a post once stood.

Ready to be an Archaeologist?

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Materials Needed:

• Pencil or pen
• Paper

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Instructions:

Complete the steps 1-3 below for each of the three photos to help your team identify the objects. Write your answers on a piece of paper.

STEP 1: Try to identify each item’s shape, color, and material. Is it an artifact, ecofact, or feature? Also write down any other important notes about the items that you’re analyzing.

• For example, in the first photo you will see that it looks like a pink circle. It looks like it might be made out of a plastic material. What else do you notice?

STEP 2: What do you think the object in the photo is used for? Slide the photo over to see a “clue” photo that may help you figure out what it is.

STEP 3: Leave space to write the item’s time period. You can use the chart below to help you place items in the correct time period.

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Mystery Artifact 1

Left image
Credit: Historical & Cultural Affairs, 2021

Right image
Credit: Historical & Cultural Affairs, 2021

 

Mystery Artifact 2

Left image
Credit: Historical & Cultural Affairs, 2021

Right image
Credit: National Park Service

 

Mystery Artifact 3

Left image
Credit: Historical & Cultural Affairs, 2021

Right image
Credit: Historical & Cultural Affairs, 2021

 

Now that we know more about the artifacts, we need to work together to try to determine what time period they are from. This will help us find out when the artifacts would have been used in Dover, Delaware. While you were analyzing the artifacts, the rest of the team came up with three time periods to help you. Each time period has a list of commonly found items and materials that were around at that same time in Dover, Delaware, that we can use to compare with our artifacts and place each of them in the correct time period.

Time Period	Time Frame	Description
Early Time Period	Before 1700's	Common objects in this time period are arrowheads, pottery, and tools. These objects are often made from natural materials such as wood, clay, and stone.
Middle Time Period	Between 1700's - 1950's	Common objects in this time period are building materials like nails and brick, coins, glazed pottery, and clothing items like buttons and buckles. These objects are often made from metal, glass, porcelain, and wood.
Late Time Period	1950's - Now	Common objects in this time period are similar to the middle period, but are often mass produced. These objects are often made from plastic and metal. Although we think of plastic as being very modern, plastic has been in use for more than 50 years and is beginning to be included in the archaeological record!

Review your answers from step 1 and step 2 to place the artifact into the correct time period. Once you think you know what it is, write the answer in the blank spot you left under step 1 and step 2 then click the drop down buttons to reveal the correct answers.

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Answer Key:

Mystery Artifact 1: Plastic Smiley Face

Late – mass-produced item made from plastic

Mystery Artifact 2: Arrowhead

Early – tool made from stone

Mystery Artifact 3: Shutterdog

Middle – building material made from metal

 

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DO.

In the activity above you learned how historical items can help us understand what happened in the past. Sometimes people choose to preserve historical items that have important meaning to their families or the community they live in. Find an object that you think would be important to either your family or community to preserve for future generations.

Instructions:

FAMILY OPTION:

STEP 1: Walk around your home and look for an object that has a special meaning to your family.
STEP 2: Ask your family what the object you choose means to them and write down their answers.
STEP 3: What could you do to make sure the object is protected so it can be passed down in your family beyond your generation?

COMMUNITY OPTION:

STEP 1: Walk around your community with your family and look for evidence of historical moments or heritage that you think may be important.
STEP 2: Look around to see if there are any signs that might tell you about the structure or what person or culture is being recognized. Take notes so you remember the importance of the historical person, place, or moment you have selected.
STEP 3: What is something you and your community could do to make sure what you have selected as important to your community stays protected for future generations to experience?

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REFLECT.

How can understanding the order of historical events in the past help us in the future? What could items we leave behind say about us in the future?

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• Return To Home

Thank you to our partners!

This program would not have been possible without the time and dedication from the staff at the Delaware Historic Preservation Office. Big thanks to everyone who helped create this experience.