Chapter 2: What's Left? Material Evidence and their Preservation

Question 1

Write down the three basic categories of archaeological finds, their definitions and one or two examples for each category.

Answer 1

Artefacts: portable objects used, modified or made by people; tools, pottery, metal weapons, jewelry, etc.

Features: Non-portable objects, humanely modified parts of a site, hearths, postholes, storage pits, ditches.

Organic finds and environmental remains or ‘ecofacts” that are not objects: textiles, animal bones, skeletons, plant remains, soils, sediments (material deposited in the earths surface).

Question 2

What is – in archaeological terms – a site, and what is a region?

Answer 2

An archaeological site is where all these archeological finds are found.

A region is a collection of sites (can be from different times).

Question 3

Which three elements do we look to establish the archaeological context of a find? Explain each term.

Answer 3

Matrix = soil sediments surrounding the find

Provenience = the horizontal or vertical position/layer it was found.

Other finds = other things in the ground near the find.

Question 4

What is the difference between a primary and a secondary archaeological context? Give an example of the latter.

Answer 4

Primary archaeological context = the original context, not touched by anything.

Secondary archaeological context = Disturbed by man or nature.

Question 5

What are cultural formation processes? In which 3 categories can these processes be divided?

Answer 5

Cultural formation processes (C-transforms) = deliberate or accidental activities of human beings.

Original human behaviour: tools, buildings

Deliberate burial: coin hoard/burial of the dead.
- If its this, it always trumps original human behavior, should choose this

Human destruction of archaeological record
- If its this, it always trumps original human behavior, should choose this

Question 6

What are natural formation processes? Mention 2 examples.

Answer 6

Natural transformations processes (N-transforms): natural events that govern the survival of archaeological record.

Inorganic materials
- Ceramics, coins, can’t destroy them.

Organic materials: only survival in exceptional circumstances – natural disasters, extremely dry, cold, or wet conditions (waterlogged environments).
- These materials can only be preserved in extreme conditions. Ex. A piece of wood
- Where they could be found = Pompeii, egypt, antartica, etc.
—Becomes anaerobic and therefore can’t degrade the materials.

Question 7

In which 4 exceptional natural circumstances can organic finds be preserved?

Answer 7

Extreme dry, cold, wet conditions, and natural disasters.