What is the difference between a prehistoric artifact and an historic artifact?
Artifacts are things that have been made or deliberately modified for use by humans. Archaeologists distinguish between prehistoric and historic cultures. Prehistoric cultures are those groups without written records. In North America, the Native Americans had no writing system, and the materials they produced are called prehistoric artifacts. These could include stone knives, projectile points, pottery, bone and shell tools, rock art, and so forth. An historic culture, such as ours, has a writing system and written records about themselves. Ancient Greece or Rome, and modern America are examples of historic cultures in this sense. The artifacts they make, such as coins, glass bottles, porcelain cups, and so forth, are historic artifacts. Note: just because there was no writing system does not mean that a prehistoric culture did not have a history. Oral histories, legends, and other media such as art helped to preserve the past for these cultures.
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