Material culture refers to the physical objects that the people of a certain culture make and use. Popular examples include tools, artwork, buildings, and weapons. The phrase material culture is used to describe the opposite of non-material culture. Non-material culture refers to ideas, rules, laws, and other parts of culture that are not physical items that can be touched and saved. Material culture objects leave behind items from which we can study and learn about the people of the past. Sociologists use these materials to study and record history. Thus, material culture items are important because they can survive even after all the people of the culture have died.