Anachronisms | Hanga nō wā kē

Whāinga ako: Lesson Goals

To understand what an anachronism is and how they can affect the usefulness of a source.

Mahi - work

What is an Anachronism?

An anachronism is something, like an object or person, that is not in its correct time. An example might be an Ancient Egyptian talking on a smart phone or Queen Victoria nipping to France on an airplane.

The Egyptians did not have electricity, and airplanes did not exist during Queen Victoria’s life, so these are called anachronisms.

What is wrong with this picture?

Record your answers on your worksheet. Click the down arrow to see answers.

Anachronisms Transition Whats Wrong with This Picture.pdf

Sometimes anachronisms are easy to spot, like the smart phone in this picture. Others are much more difficult; the portrait of Edward I is only a few decades too modern.

Anachronisms often occur in written sources. Can you identify the anachronisms in these two sources?

Sources that contain anachronisms are less useful than sources which do not. If a source has an anachronism it, this shows that it may not be reliable; it may have been made up or it could have been created further from events than it pretends to be.

Use your activity sheet to rate the three sources by usefulness, showing which sources are best in helping us study history accurately.

Anachronisms Transition Activity Sheet.pdf

Create your own anachronism

What is an Anachronism.pdf

Here is an example of someone using Photoshop to create an anachronism. Your job is to find an old photo or painting and hide an anachronism in it. Share the result with your teacher.

Use a free online version of photoshop. (I recommend www.pixlr.com )

Below is an example made by a student!