Did you ever wondered how historians reconstruct history and give us a glimpse of our ancestors’ social, political and economic life? Everything we now read as history is reconstructed based on artifacts found at various sites in different conditions. For those who don’t know, artifacts are objects made by human beings like tools, pots, clothes etc to fulfil their needs.
We adore the art of artifacts in museums, but never appreciate the work of an archaeologist who excavates human remains and artifacts and refurbishes them. We can know the evolution of technological development throughout history with the changing manufacturing techniques of tools and weapons found on a particular site.
A kingdom is described as a wealthy state by the volume of coins found in its territory and coins of one kingdom found outside its territories describe strong trade relations. Tools and weapons made with stone or metal describe their advancement in technology.
The Indus valley civilisation, one of the oldest civilisation in the world (2500–1700 BCE) produced one of the finest pottery called ancient glazed pottery. This type of pottery might be used by the rich people in the society. The artifacts found by excavating this civilisation amazed many researchers and archaeologists. The beads and seals found here are one of a kind which show people’s love towards ornaments and fashion.
The pyramids of Egypt are not just a great sightseeing, but they also give us a glance on the lives of ruling and working-class people of that period. The pictures on the walls of the tombs tell us about the lives of kings and their families and the gods they worshipped. All these artifacts need to be taken care by the governments and ensure to enrich their glory. Museums, apart from just being places of exhibition, have to promote and preserve cultural identity and historical importance.
