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Mystery Shipwreck Activity 1 - Introduction

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Additional learning activityMaritime archaeology
A ceramic fragment in the wreck site with a yellow and black marker.

A significant part of archaeology involves looking at objects and using your observational skills and reasoning to determine where they might have come from and what they tell us about the people who made and used them. 

Start uncovering the story of our mystery shipwreck by closely examining these three objects. 

Student Activity:

Examine these three objects below.  

Can you identify what they are? 

How to move 3D objects

Rotate - left click, single touch, arrow keys.

Zoom - scroll wheel, two finger pinch, '-' and '=' keys.

Move - right click, two finger move, WASD keys.

Recentre - Double click, double tap.

3 objects on a black background. A round wooden object, a broken piece of white and pottery and a green metal nail.

Object 1 

Object 2

Object 3

All three objects are from one historical site.  

Discuss: What time period do you think these objects are from? 

This might seem like an impossible task at first, but the collection of objects provides some hints.

Consider:  

  • Are the objects something we would still use today?
  • What kind of material are the objects made from?
  • Are they handmade or factory made?