Coins, inscriptions and a claim about ancient exchange
A fictional classroom dossier describes coins found at a South Caucasian archaeological site, an inscription in which a neighbouring ruler claims a successful campaign, and a much later narrative associating the region with a Greek myth. The dossier does not supply evidence that all three sources describe the same event. A student concludes that the coin finds prove every local person spoke Greek, the royal inscription proves the ruler never lost a battle and the myth supplies an eyewitness record of the voyage it describes. Another student proposes comparing dates, find contexts, authorship and the kinds of claims each source can support. The teacher asks for an analysis of the evidence rather than a guess at an unprovided historical event or a fabricated quotation. All descriptions in the dossier are hypothetical teaching materials, not newly discovered sources.
1. Identify two unsupported inferences in the first student's argument.
Read the worked answer
Coin finds do not establish every inhabitant's language, and a ruler's victory claim does not prove an undefeated career. The later myth is not automatically an eyewitness record. Each inference extends beyond the source described.
2. Recommend a defensible way to compare the materials.
Read the worked answer
Check chronology, archaeological context, author and purpose. Compare independent evidence where available and distinguish exchange, political claims and cultural memory. State what remains uncertain rather than forcing the materials into one event or treating every source type as interchangeable.