Starter quiz
- What is an artefact?
- a story or legend from the past
- an object made by nature, such as a shell
- an object made by people in the past ✓
- an object made by people today
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- Complete the sentence. A ______ is a metal stamp used to imprint a design on a coin.
- 'coin die' ✓
- What image on one of the coin dies represented Thor, the Norse God of Thunder?
- shield
- sword
- hammer ✓
- helmet
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- What were the ice skates found at Coppergate made from?
- plastic
- bone ✓
- wood
- metal
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- Which of the below were artefacts excavated at Coppergate?
- wooden board games ✓
- books and magazines
- padlocks and keys ✓
- dresses and clothes
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- Where is it thought that the wood board games that were excavated came from, in Viking times?
- Byzantium
- Russia
- Egypt
- Scandinavia ✓
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Exit quiz
- What statement accurately describes the process of 'excavation'?
- Painting pictures of ancient scenes
- Writing stories about the past
- Removing earth to find remains ✓
- Building models of historical buildings
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- When archaeologists discover new artefacts their learning about the Vikings can change.
- True ✓
- False
- What was the type of soil called that helped preserve the artefacts?
- sandy and dry
- peaty and moist ✓
- sandy and moist
- peaty and dry
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- What description best describes how the Vikings traded goods?
- The Vikings bought and sold goods only from Europe.
- The Vikings bought and sold goods only from England.
- The Vikings bought and sold goods from across the world. ✓
- The Vikings bought and sold goods only from Asia.
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- Match the artefact with the findings of the excavation with the correct statement of what it tells us about Viking life.
- ice skates⇔they would use these to travel in winter months ✓
- gaming board⇔they played this during leisure time ✓
- cowrie shells⇔they traded across the world, to places like the Middle East ✓
- woven wattles⇔they made the walls of homes from woven branches ✓
- knives and tools⇔they were craftspeople, including blacksmiths ✓
- Which of the following describe what the findings at Coppergate tell us about the Vikings?
- They traded across the world. ✓
- They were keen scholars.
- They were fierce warriors.
- They were skilled craftsmen. ✓
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Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Lots of artefacts have been found in the Coppergate area that date from the time the Vikings lived there.
- These tell historians a lot about the buildings that were there and the activities that took place.
- They show that Viking York was a major trading hub where goods came to from all over Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
- Many artefacts provide an insight into the daily lives of the Vikings who lived in York.
- A good explanation of how we know so much will describe various artefacts and what archaeologists have learnt from them.
Common misconception
Pupils may not grasp that artefacts act like pieces to a puzzle that help us learn about how people lived in a specific time or place.
The more artefacts archaeologists uncover, the more opportunity there is to study them carefully to learn about how people lived in a specific time or place.
Keywords
Excavation - excavation is the process of removing earth carefully from an area to find buried remains
Artefact - an artefact is an object made by a human being, typically one of cultural or historical interest
Trade - trade is the action of buying and selling goods and services
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