HISTORY 291 NAME_______________________

CIVILIZATION EXERCISE

1/16/02

This exercise will encourage you to reflect upon the defining characteristics of civilization. It will also provide you with some insight into artifact interpretation. Following class discussion, this response sheet will be collected and will count towards your class participation grade.

(1) Imagine that you are archaeologists 1000 years from now and that you are digging outside this building on a grass covered spot. After some digging, you find 4 artifacts: (1) a ten-dollar bill; (2) a one-dollar bill; (3) a nickel; (4) a penny. Using these artifacts, how could you determine that we were a civilization? Assume that you have no knowledge of our current culture and can’t read the languages on these artifacts.

(2) What if you could read the languages? Translations of the Latin phrases are given below:

· E Pluribus Unum ("Out of many, one")

· Novus Ordo Seclorum ("New order of the ages")

· Annuit Coeptis ("He is favorable to our undertakings")

(3) Are there any incorrect assumptions that you might make by examining these artifacts?