Chapter 3 Flashcards
one of the main tasks of archaeologists
find and recover the location of sites and features
A significant number of sites were found by
accident
who search for the full range of sites and features, that make up the diversity of past landscapes
Archaeologists who have systematically attempted to record these sites
Ground reconnaissance primarily involves
fieldwork
how can one find sites with ground reconnaissance?
by consulting documentary sources
Modern Biblical Archaeology
The search for evidence of places, people and events from Old and New testament
Modern biblical archaeology links
biblical places to archaeological known ones
how can the Bible not be a good source of documentary material
Absolute believe in religion truths = clouding of impartial assessment of validity
another ground reconnaissance documentary source
maps and old street names
what is the role of archaeologists in cultural resource management
Locate and record sites before they are destroyed
Many sites are recorded in inventories under the ________ laws
cultural resource management (CRM)
Other ways to look for sites without documentary sources
Look for the most prominent remains in a landscape
Why are maps a traditional way of finding sites
Ancient people would have put the sites on maps
what is the Madaba Map
It helped identify the location of ancient sites mentioned in the Bible
where was the Madaba Map found
under the floor of a church
what to do when doing salvage archaeology
Make sure some of the sites are worth saving and which ones aren’t before they are damaged beyond repair
reconnaissance survey goals
- identify sites (especially the dates)
- survey around sites to understand smaller settlements
why are dates important in reconnaissance survey
Important for presenting information and how the whole area was used during the specific times
why don’t we only want to study the big cities
need to understand the interactions of smaller cities within a larger site
benefits of reconnaissance survey
- cheaper than excavation
- less destructive than excavation
- provides different and useful information
what do people do in a reconnaissance survey
people to walk around and nothing is being taken
what happens to the material as we work through it
it gets destoryed
tell
thousands of years of occupation
why build on the same spot
- Better to be on higher ground to avoid any water damage
- Higher is better for tactical advantage in battle
why were Roman sites obvious
their architecture and mediums
they transformed the area around them
before being a reconnaissance survey, one must
establish the region of study and where you want to do the work
after finding and establishing the region, what is done in a reconnaissance survey
establish the goals for the site and what you are looking for in specific
1. the whole region
2. only sites in certain periods
after establishing your goals for a reconnaissance survey, then
divide the region up so that it becomes more meaningful for analysis
two types of reconnaissance surveys
- unsystematic
- systematic
unsystematic reconnaissance survey uses what
walk around and look for sites with your archaeologist skills and intuition
systematic reconnaissance survey avoids what
archaeological skills and intuition to avoid the influence of this approach
systematic or ______ reconnaissance
probabilistic
systematic reconnaissance surveys entail
Walking around and finding surfaces finds
what must surface finds be in systematic reconnaissance
- things that are diagnostic
what does diagnostic mean
an artifact that gives an idea of what kind of site or site age we are looking at
during systematic reconnaissance, we try to avoid
looking for finds and instead use grids or transects to look for things
types of probabilistic sampling
- simple random sampling
- stratified random sampling
- systematic sampling
- stratified unaligned systematic sample
a stratified unaligned systematic sample
Divide the territory and carefully systematically choose the areas to sample in a consistent manner
systematic sampling
Using a grid system or a series of equally spaced transects (straight paths) across the area and walk them
what is the risk of systematic sampling
Regular spacing one runs the risk of missing or hitting every single example in an equally regular pattern of distribution
stratified random sampling
· The region is divided into its natural zones
· Squares that are chosen by the random-number procedure but proportional to the natural zones
simple random sampling
· Areas to be sampled are chosen using a table of random numbers
what is the most biased or inefficient sampling strategy?
simple random sampling
what is the easiest way to define boundaries in a reconnaissance survey
using the natural boundaries
aerial reconnaissance also inlcudes
remote sensing
crop marks are easier to see in the
air than on the ground
crop marks that are not as high and densely packed are over
the top of a foundation
crop marks that are high and densely packed are over
a trench or hole
ring ditches
Could be to surround a village
Defence - keep hoards and kids from wandering away
when time are ring ditches found
Neolithic
what do straight lines mean?
human-made structures - won’t be super straight lines in nature
instead of using aerial surveillance, we use
photographs that are already made
what matters when taking aerial photographs
the angle
vertical photograph
picture that is straight done
what are vertical photographs good for
maps and plans as you can draw the shape perfectly with no distortion from an angle
oblique photographs are taken
from an angle
what is created with oblique photographs
shadows
oblique photographs are used for
pictorial effect and perspective
what aerial photography method makes the site more apparent
oblique photography
what is wrong with the way the Earthworks Hillfort was captured with aerial photos
The photo was shot in a direction that makes the ditches look like hills
reason Satellite photography is often used
Allows us to see things hidden (like under sand)
LIDAR is an example of
remote sensing
LIDAR is used to
preserve and make an artifact in 3D
GIS means
Geographic Information Systems
what is GIS
A complex computer system that allows us to understand spatial data
7 steps of using GIS
- Excavate/find the site
- Measure and make sure to record the location
- Draw the find
- Digitize the find
- Upload the square to the GIS database
- Enter in and quarry things to manipulate and sort the evidence
- Allows the ability to find patterns and spatial connections
what is subsurface detection
Used to find a site but not dig into it
subsurface detection is used when we want to what
know what we are finding in the ground
what happens as you dig down at a site
things will get damaged
benefits of subsurface detection
- minimizes damage to the site
- minimizes the cost to excavate
- helps orient you and organize your excavayion
- helps see what you are going to be digging before digging
what kind of probes are not used in excavation
remote probes with a camera on them
probes that are used by archaeologists
rebar probes
how are probes used in archaeology
hammer down and find the location of a site by listening to the sounds that are reflected
geophysical sensing devices are also known as
ground base remote sensing
two types of geophysical sensing devices
- passive
- active
active geophysical sensing devices
pass energy through the soil and measure the responses
passive geophysical sensing devices
measure the physical properties of the soil like magnetism
what is bosing
a subsurface detection method where the ground is struck with a wooden mallet and different sounds indicate different finds
what are acoustic and seismic methods in geophysical sensing devices
bosing
what does a dull sound indicate in bosing
undisturbed earth
what does a resonant sound indicate in bosing
buried ditches or pits
what is sonar used for in geophysical sensing devices
seeing how long a sound will take to return back
what does sonar measure and how
hard materials under you are by the speed of the waves
slow wave return in sonar suggests
hard materials
fast wave return in sonar suggests
soft materials like clay
electromagnetic geophysical sensing devices
Ground penetrating radar (GPR)
how does GPR work
uses radio pulses that go down and bounce back
what does GPR show
a snapshot of what is happening at every level of the site
what can be done to the layers shown by GPR
can be brought together and drawn
electrical resistivity
Measuring the electrical properties of the soil
what does damp soil mean in electrical resistivity
it has better conductivity
magnets/magnetometry
used to measure the magnetic properties of the soil
why does clay show good magnetism
fired clay preserved itself as a natural magnet - it creates a distortion
Too much pottery at a site means
the whole site is pottery and that messes with the results
why don’t wooden henges survive well
because wood doesn’t survive well
what do geophysical devices allow us to do
find the site even though we can’t excavate it
examples of geophysical devices
- magnets
- electrical resistivity
- GPR
- seismic and acoustic
- bosing
- passive
- active
Stratified Unaligned Systematic Sampling
systematic sampling
stratified random sampling
Simple random sample
what is an advantage of LIDAR
Tree canopies can be eliminated where the laser is able to reach the ground surface through gaps
The Sydney Cyprus Survey Project
Examined the human transformation of the landscape over 5 000 years
The primary goal of the Cyprus Survey Project
- Use archaeological landscape data to analyze the relationship between the production and distribution of agricultural and metal resources over time
- Chart the changing configurations of society and individuals within it
Pottery indicator (PI)
Indicated the importance of a specific time period in a unit
PI of 500 to 1000
A light scatter of pottery from agricultural practises (manuring)
PI of 5000
The low density of habitation (farmstead)
PI of 10 000
High density found on major settlements
forensic archaeology
Combines biological anthropology and archaeological techniques that are presented in a court of law
what does evidence in forensic archaeology relate to
The recovery of individual homicide victims
Excavation of mass graves for the conviction of those being accused
Recovery and identification of victims in the aftermath of fires
significant differences between forensic with traditional archaeology
Forensic context
The data will differ from conventional excavations
Questions focus on evidence to help understand the murder
the victim has a name and it’s not looking for generic information about past cultures
The evidence is something not familiar to archaeologists
Excavation has to be done in a way that maintains the evidence for the pathologist to find the cause of death
Roman Wroxeter
has survived without damage and no succeeding modern settlement was built over it
how was GPR used at Roman Wroxeter
slices from lower and lower in the ground - resulted the structure of the buildings
Most extensive and complete plan available for a Romano- British civitas capital
Roman Wroxeter
· Three kinds of characteristics attributes for sorting artifacts
Surface attributes (includes decoration and color)
Shape attributes (includes dimensions and shape itself)
Technological attributes (primarily raw material)
Typology
Grouping together artifacts that share similar attributes into artifact types
Archaeological cultures
Groups of assemblages
what is difficult about archaeological cultures
to translate this terminology into human terms and relate it to an archaeological culture with actual group of people from the past
Step-trenching
Large open areas at the top gradually narrows as the dig descends in a series of large steps
Open-area excavation
Open up large areas and only cut vertical sections where they need to explain complex stratigraphic relationships
Gives a preliminary idea of what lies beneath the surface
Shovel test pits
Used with sites that have poor visibility of the surface
shovel test pits
