Traces of Bronze, not Paper
Sometimes, historians have no choice but to use weapons, tools, or other material remains to examine cultures. Very ancient cultures left no written record to examine. Even if they wrote, their writings have been lost to time. Since metal and stone are slow to decompose, metal objects or stone structures are often the only remains of an ancient culture. Weapons and tools often make up the majority of discovered metal. Even so, any wood origially attached to that metal is often gone. So how can we understand ancient cultures?