Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

physical anthropology ⋆·˚ ༘ * > ˗ˏˋ archaeology ´ˎ˗ > Flashcards

˗ˏˋ archaeology ´ˎ˗ Flashcards

1
Q

what is the register of professional archaeologists?

A
  • founded in 1998
  • agree to follow an explicit code of conduct and standards of research performance
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

what is the society for american archaeology 8 principles of archaeological ethics?

A
  • stewardship
  • accountability
  • (prevention of) commercialization
  • public education & outreach
  • intellectual property
  • public reporting & publication
  • records & preservation
  • training & resources
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

what is a survey?

A

an archaeological survey maps the physical remains of human activity, like surveying the land.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

what is in situ?

A

archaeological material is considered to be in situ when it is found in the place where it was originally deposited.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

how are many sites found?

A

soil erosion.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

what is an airborne LIDAR?

A

a technique that uses lasers to map surface features that is particularly useful in discovering features hidden by vegetation.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

what is geographical information systems (GIS)?

A

software applications that allow spatial data to be brought together and consolidated.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

what was pompeii AD79?

A
  • mount vesuvius erupted, covering the city in a blanket of ash and pumice
  • the citizens were killed instantly, and left behind cavities in the hardened stone and ash. plaster was poured into the voids, creating the now famous casts
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

what are horizontal excavations?

A
  • an excavation for which the goal is to excavate a broad area in order to expose the remains of a single point in time
  • more shallow
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

what is vertical excavation?

A
  • an excavation for which the goal is to excavate a significant depth of deposits in order to expose the record of a sequence of occupations
  • deeper
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

what is the law of superposition?

A

in any undisturbed depositional sequence, each layer of sediments is younger than the layer beneath it.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

what is strata?

A

discrete layers in a stratigraphic sequence.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

what are anthropogenic deposits?

A
  • deposits that result from human activity
  • human activities range from building fires on ephemeral hunter-gatherer camp sites to erecting the palaces and fortifications of great cities
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

what is a depositional unit?

A

the material deposited at a site at a particular point in time.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

what is a provenience?

A

the precise context in which an object is recovered in an excavation.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

what is a datum point?

A
  • the linchpin for the control of excavation
  • serves as a reference point for all depth measurements on the site
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

why do we dig square holes?

A
  • makes it easier to draw plans of the layout of architectural remains and artifacts because one can measure the locations of objects and features with reference to the sides of the excavation square
  • the sides of the holes provide a record of the stratigraphic sequence
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

what is wet screening?

A
  • the process of spraying water onto a sieve to break up sediments and move them through the mesh to make sure that all artifacts are recovered during an excavation.
  • every bucket of earth that goes to the sieve must be
    clearly labeled so that its precise context is known
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

what is flotation?

A
  • the process used to recover botanical material (wood and seeds) that involves mixing sediments vigorously in water
  • charred remains of seeds and wood float to the surface, while the mineral sediments settle to the bottom. the charred botanical material can then be skimmed off and dried for analysis.
20
Q

what is the importance of recording methods?

A
  • you can only excavate a site once
  • record keeping is of paramount importance
21
Q

what is cultural resource management (CRM)?

A
  • public archaeology is carried out with the goal of mitigating the effects of development on archaeological resources
  • ex: building a mall and making sure they are not building on top of something important
  • includes identification, evaluation, and treatment/mitigation
22
Q

what is identification (CRM)?

A

archaeologists combine surveys with archival research to locate archaeological sites in the path of development.

23
Q

what is evaluation (CRM)?

A
  • the significance of sites is determined
  • adjustments to path of development
24
Q

what is treatment/mitigation?

A

destruction and/or collection.

25
Q

what are artifacts?

A
  • objects that show traces of human manufacture
  • examples include tools and vessels, as well as the waste resulting from a manufacturing process
  • lithic analysis is the study of stone tools
  • ceramic analysis is the study of pottery and other objects made of fired clay
  • metallurgy is the study of metal artifacts and the by-products of smelting
26
Q

what are ecofacts?

A
  • objects recovered from an archaeological context that are either the remains of biological organisms or the results of geological processes
  • faunal analysis (study of animal bones)
  • paleoethnobotany (study of archaeological plant remains, such as charred seeds and pollen)
  • human osteoarchaeology (study of the biological characteristics of human skeletal material)
27
Q

what is photogrammetry?

A

software that creates a similar 3D model using multiple images taken with a digital camera.

28
Q

what is a moai sculpture?

A

sculpture (height 2.42 meters) from easter island.

29
Q

what is the postdepositional processes?

A

events that take place after a site has been occupied.

30
Q

what is taphonomy?

A

the study of the processes that affect organic remains after death.

31
Q

what is microscopic analysis of archaeological remains?

A
  • includes genetic research (DNA, aDNA), microbotanical research and more
  • isotope analysis (study of diet through the chemical signature of bones)
32
Q

what is quantification?

A

methods used by archaeologists to represent the large quantities of material recovered in excavations and surveys.

33
Q

what is sampling?

A

the selection of a subset of individuals from within a statistical population to estimate characteristics of the whole population.

34
Q

what is the number of identifiable specimens (NISP)?

A
  • method of counting where we chart the relative frequency of an artifact (example counting animal bones, by species, at a site)
  • arguments against this: if you find 1 complete skeleton of a rabbit and 10 left tibias from cows, the numbers only would suggest more rabbits than cows
35
Q

what is the minimum number of individuals (MNI)?

A
  • method of counting where each skeletal element (i.e., left tibia or first upper premolar) is counted individually - the number of examples of a given element is then divided by the number of bones of that type that occur in an individual skeleton
  • in the case just described, the MNI for rabbits would be 1, and the MNI for cows would be 10
36
Q

what is typology?

A

a list used to draw up an inventory of types of artifacts found by archaeologists in a particular archaeological context.

37
Q

what is an attribute?

A
  • a particular characteristic of an artifact
  • different art styles, and materials used
38
Q

what is absolute chronology?

A

a chronology stated in terms of calendar years.

39
Q

what is relative chronology?

A

a chronology that places assemblages in a temporal sequence not directly linked to calendar dates.

40
Q

what is seriation?

A

the method of comparing the relative frequency of artifact types between contexts.

41
Q

what is intrasite?

A

having to do with comparisons of contexts within a single site—for example, an analysis comparing the sizes and contents of different houses to try to determine the social structure of a society.

42
Q

what is intersite?

A

having to do with comparisons of contexts between two or more sites—for example, an analysis comparing the number of houses between sites in a region.

43
Q

what is ethnoarchaeology?

A
  • research carried out by archaeologists living with and observing communities in order to make a contribution to archaeology
  • fesearch includes (but not limited to): subsistence, technology, ideology, and site formation
44
Q

what does our current understanding of tool formation on ethnoarchaeological studies rely on?

A
  • ground stone axe manufacture in papua new guinea
  • flint knapping in Australia
  • obsidian tool manufacture and use in ethiopia
    stone bead manufacture in india
45
Q

what does the process of excavation include?

A

the conservation of excavated areas and, in some cases, the consolidation of remains for display.

46
Q

what is the native american graves protection and repatriation act (NAGPRA)?

A

1990, a federal law has provided for the repatriation and disposition of certain native american human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony.

47
Q

what is community archaeology?

A
  • community-based archaeology, in which the archaeologists relinquish to the local community at least partial control over their program of research
  • communication and collaboration
  • employment and training
  • public presentation
  • interviews and oral history
  • development of educational resources
  • creation of a photographic and video archive
  • community-controlled merchandising

physical anthropology ⋆·˚ ༘ * (23 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions