Artifacts and Fossils

An archaeologist must know the different between an artifact and a fossil. 

• Fossils are the remains of living things (plants, animals, people), not of things that were made.
  
  

• Artifacts are the remains of things that were made, not the remains of living things. 
  

Can you tell the difference between
 an artifact and a fossil? Let's find out!

1. While planting my garden, I found an old bone. Did I find a fossil or an artifact?

2. While exploring the woods near my house, I found an arrowhead. Did I find a fossil or an artifact? 

 

The answer is: 

1. A fossil. A bone is the remains of something that was once living. 

2. An artifact. An arrowhead is something that was made.