Basic Principles Flashcards
What is surface scatter?
Visible near the surface of the ground
The finding of archaeological sites is called?
Archaeological survey
Ground Penetrating Radar
Sends electromagnetic waves into the ground (difference frequencies reveal remains)
Ground Penetrating Radar (Frequency types)
Sonar, resistivity, and magnetometry
Aerial Reconnaissance
Underground features easier seen from an aerial view
Oblique Photography (Aerial Photography)
Satellite imagery; present or past photography that gives visuals of previous cultures and cities from thousands of years ago
Two methods of Geological surveying
Aerial Reconnaissance and Oblique Photography
Subfields of archaeology include:
Lithics, zooarchaeology, human osteology, archaeolebotany, geoarchaeology and bioarchaeology
Lithics
Stone tools or ceramics
Zooarchaeology
Ancient animals remains
-Answers: subsistences, trade, and climate/enviroment
Human Osteology
Ancient human remains
Archaroleobotany
Ancient plant remains
-Answers: subsistences, trade, and climate/enviorment
Geoarchaeology
Ancient sediments
Bioarchaeology
Stable isotopes, residyes, and ancient DNA
Vertical emphasis
The examination of multiple periods of use/occupations (accumulation)
- Enables visual of depth of occupation and view change over time
- Reveals stratification
Horizontal Emphasis
Exposure of a single layer (on a large scale)
- Focus on occupational phase
- Limited examination of change (don’t know what’s underneath)
Stratigraphy (Excavation)
Layers of cultural and natural materials that accumulate on top of each other (bottom = older; top = newer)
Context (Excavation)
In Stitu locations and associations (in 3-D forms) of finds
Artifacts (Types of Remains)
Portable objects made or altered by humans (i.e. tools)
-Can start as something natural like bone (bone -> spear = tool)
Ecofacts (Types of Remains)
Natural remains (i.e. animals, plants, or sediments - not altered for human use) resulting from human activity
Features (Types of Remains)
Cannot be moved; non-portable objects (i.e. houses, walls, burials, fireplaces, etc.)
Site and Settlement Patterns (Types of Remains)
Spacial distribution of rooms, sites, or groups of sites to find a connection between
Artifact Analysis (Materials Analysis)
Understanding of how tools were made through replication studies and stylistic studies
-Determination of connection between archaeological sites
Replication Studies
Producing and using analogs of ancient tools or structures
-Answers: technology and logistics
Material Analysis (Petrography)
Colored smears (i.e. crystals which made up a vessel structure which can determine a society), trace element analysis -Answers: trade and technology
Stylistic Analysis
Examination of “stylistic” attributes
Stable Isotopes
Diets, mobility, economy, climate/environment, and social status
Residue Analysis
Economy (reconstruct civilization’s use of cooking pots and storage vessels)
Ancient DNA
Species identity and relatedness, human identity, and domestication
