Chapter 3                                                                                                                                          Lesson 4

Interpreting Sources

 

I.                   Evidence of Cultural Contact

a.     Trade was one of several forms of contact between the cultures of the ancient world.

b.    Different cultures came into contact through travel.

c.     Others through war and migration.

d.    Clues about contact between ancient cultures are found in the archaeological record.

e.     Whenever different cultures come in contact, they exchange goods and ideas.  This is known as cultural diffusion.

II.                Evidence of Independent Invention

a.     Different cultures can make similar developments without coming into contact with each other.

Example: Stonehenge and Pyramids

Megaliths:  large stones used in prehistoric buildings or monuments.

 

b.    Similar developments can arise when people in different places work to solve similar problems.

c.     New methods of evaluating and understanding evidence can change archaeologists’ interpretations.