Chapter 1: Principles of Archaeology Flashcards
Prehistory
The human past, specifically before the appearance of written records
Archaeology
The study of the human past, monitoring the relationship between time and change
Era
A major division of geological time, usually distinguished by significant changes in the plant and animal kingdoms
Epoch
A subdivision of geological time, representing units of eras
Culture
A uniquely human means of nonbiological adaptation; a repertoire of learned behaviors for coping with the physical and social environments
Evolution
The process of change over time resulting from shifting conditions of the physical and cultural environments, involving mechanisms of mutation and natural selection
Biological Anthropology
The study of the biological nature of our nearest relatives and ourselves
Cultural Anthropology
The study of living peoples and the shared aspects of the human experience
Anthropological Archaeology
Archaeological investigations that seek to answer fundamental questions about humans and human behavior
Historical Archaeology
Archaeology in combination with the written record
Artifact
Any object or item created or modified by human action
Site
The accumulation of artifacts and/or ecofacts, representing a place where people lived or carried out certain activities
Fieldwork
The search for archaeological sites in the landscape through surveys and excavations
Survey
A systematic search of the landscape for artifacts and sites on the ground through aerial photography, field walking, soil analysis, and geophysical prospecting
Excavation
The exposure and recording of buried materials from the past
Ground-Penetrating Radar
An instrument for remote sensing or prospecting for buried structures using radar maps of subsoil features
Bioturbation
Activities of plants and animals in the earth, causing disturbance of archaeological materials
Total Station
A computerized surveying and mapping instrument that uses a laser beam or radio waves to measure the distance and angle between the instrument and the target and then calculates the exact position of the target
Archaeological Record
The body of material and information that survives for archaeologists to study
Context
The association and relationships between archaeological objects that are in the same place
Primary context
An object found where it was originally located in antiquity, not redeposited
Provenience
The place of origin for archaeological materials, including location, association, and context
Shell Midden
A mound of shells accumulated from human collection, consumption, and disposal; a dump of shells from oysters, clams, mussels, or other species found along coasts and rivers, usually dating to the Holocene
Ecofact
Any of the remains of plants, animals, sediments, or other unmodified materials that result from human activity
Feature
An immovable structure or layer, pit, or post in the ground having archaeological significance.
Ethnography
The study of human cultures through firsthand observation
Technology
The combination of knowledge and manufacturing techniques that enables people to convert raw materials into finished products
Economy
The management and organization of the affairs of a group, community, or establishment to ensure their survival and productivity
Organization
The arrangements between individuals and groups in human society that structure relationships and activities
Egalitarian
A term that refers to societies lacking clearly defined status differences between individuals, except for those due to sex, age, or skill
Rank
A relationship of inequality between members of society in which status is determined by kinship relations of birth order and lineage
Class
A relationship between members in which status is determined by membership in a level or class
Craft Specialists
Individuals involved in part- or full-time activities devoted to the production of a specific class of goods, often highly valued
Hierarchical
A term referring to societies that have a graded order of inequality in ranks, statuses, or decision makers
Ideology
A conceptual framework by which people structure their ideas about the order of the universe, their place in that universe, and their relationships among themselves and with objects and other forms of life around them
Cosmology
The worldview of a group or society, encompassing their understanding of the universe, their origins and existence, and nature
Pictograph
A written or painted symbol that more or less portrays the represented object
Petroglyph
A drawing that has been carved into rock
Shaman
An anthropological term for a spiritualist, curer, or seer
Sodality
An alliance or association among some members or a society, often based on age and sex, with a specific function
