Archaeology Flashcards
what is excavation
when archaeologists dig up the ground to find evidence left by people in the past
what is an aerial photograph
a photo taken of the ground in an elevated position
what is research archaeology
when an old document or source reveals that a building or a structure is on the site
what is rescue archaeology
before you get planning permission for a road or a building you must make sure that there is no evidence on the site that will be lost forever
what needs to be present for things to decay
air and moisture
name three places that can prevent decay
deserts because the heat dries the objects out
volcanoes of the artefact is covered in ash
bogs because of the airless conditions
what is a test french
a sample hole dug to see if there is anything of interest present and judge whether it is worth excavating the whole site
what is topsoil
the top layer of soil
name three archaeology tools
trowels, shovels, sieves
explain radio carbon dating
all organisms contain carbon-14 when they’re alive. after they die the level of carbon-14 decreases. This can tell us how old a body is by the amount of carbon-14 left
what does mesolithic mean
middle stone age
what is a geophysical survey
an x ray of the ground
what is a passage tomb
a narrow passage with one or more burial chambers, made of large stones and covered in earth or stone
what does neolithic mean
the new stone age
what is a corbelled roof
a domed roof built by overlapping stones until they meet at the top
