In history when we say objects we mean artefacts, that is, things made by people rather than natural objects. They provide archaeological evidence and can have various forms, from something tiny like a button to a huge building or ruins. The most ordinary objects can yield much historical evidence and create various images. Durbin (1991) makes the observation that "Studying history without looking at the material remains of the past creates a very unbalanced view. If you only consider the written record then millions of people are excluded from the record" (p. 9).