Archaeology Terms Flashcards
ANT200 Terms
Survey
Maps physical remains of human activity
In Situ
Archaeology material found in place it was originally deposited
GIS
Geographic Information System - software apps that allow spatial data to be brought together and consolidated
Horizontal Excavation
Excavation for which the goal is to excavate a broad area in order to expose the remains of a single point of time
Vertical Excavation
Goal is to excavate a significant depts of deposits in order to expose record of sequence of occupation
Law of Superposition
In any undisturbed depositioner sequence each layer of sediment is younger than the layer beneath
Strata
Discrete layers in a stratigraphic sequence
Provenience
Precise context in which an object is recovered in an excavation
Datum Point
The linchpin for the control of excavation. It serves as a reference point for all depth measurement on the site.
Wet Screening
Process of spraying water onto a sieve to break up sediments and move them through the mesh to make sure all artifacts are recovered during excavation.
Flotation
Process used to recover botanical material (wood+seeds) which involves mixing sediments vigorously in water. In the process charred remains of seeds + wood float to the surface while the mineral sediments settle to the bottom. The charred botanical material can then be skimmed off + dried for analysis.
Artifact
Objects that show traces of human manufacture
Ecofact
Objects recovered from archaeological context that are either remains of biological organisms or the results of geographical processes.
Postdepositional Process
Events that take place after a site has been occupied.
Taphonomy
Study of the processes that affect organic remains after death.
Quantification
Methods used by archaeologists to represent the large quantities of material recovered in excavations + surveys.
Typology
A list used to draw up an inventory of types of artifacts found by archaeologists in a particular archaeological context.
Attribute
A particular characteristic of an artifact.
Absolute Chronology
A chronology stated in terms of calendar years.
Relative Chronology
A chronology that places assemblages in a temporal sequence not directly linked to calendar dates.
Seriation
The method of comparing the relative frequency of artifact types between contexts.
Intrasite
Having to do with 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.
Intersite
Comparisons between two or more sites - for example an analysis comparing the number of houses between sites in a region.
Synchronic Studies
Studies that make comparisons within a single period.