Chapter 4 Flashcards
provenience
an artifact’s location relative to a system of spatial data collection
Pleitocene
a geologic period from 2 million to 10,000 years ago, which was characterized by multiple periods of extensive glaciation
in situ
from Latin, meaning “in position”; the place where an artifact, ecofact, or feature was found during excavation or survey
test excavation
a small initial excavation to determine a site’s potential for answering a research question
datum point
the zero point, a fixed reference used to keep control on a dig usually controls both the vertical and horizontal dimensions of provenience
natural level
a vertical subdivision of an excavation square that is based on natural breaks in the sediments (in terms of color; grain size, texture, hardness, or other characteristics)
arbitrary level
the basic vertical subdivision of an excavation square; used only when easily recognizable “natural” strata are lacking and when natural strata are more than 10 centimeters thick
strata (singular: stratum)
more or less homogeneous or gradational material, visually separable from other levels by a discrete change in character of the material–texture, compactness, color, rock, organic content–and/or by sharp break in nature of deposition
living floor
a distinct buried surface on which people lived
total station
a device that uses a beam of light bounced off a prism to determine an artifact’s provenience; it is accurate to +_ 3 centimeters
water screening
a sieving process in which deposit is placed on a screen and the matrix washed away with hoses; essential where artifacts are expected to be small and/or difficult to find without washing
matrix sorting
the hand sorting of processed bulk soil samples for minute artifacts and ecofacts
flotation
the used of fluid suspension to recover tiny burned plant remains and bone fragments from archaeological sites
Principles of Archaeological Excavation
Record artifact context by recording provenience in detail
Structure excavation methods to level of preservation
Follow natural stratigraphy wherever possible; used arbitrary levels only where necessary
Excavate in the smallest practical horizontal and vertical units to maintain provenience of artifacts not found in situ
Utilize sieving, water screening, and sediment samples to recover small items
systemic context
the living behavioral system in which artifacts were originally manufactured, used, reused, and discarded
archaeological context
once artifacts enter the ground, they become part of the archaeological context, where they can continue to be affected by human action but are also affected by natural processes
formation processes
the ways in which human behaviors and natural actions operate to produce the archaeological record
cultural deposition processes
the ways in which artifacts enter the archaeological context through human action, primarily discard, loss, caching, and ritual interment
reclamation processes
human behaviors that result in artifact’s moving from the archaeological context back to the systemic context–ex: scavenging beams from an abandoned structure to use them in new one
cultural disturbance processes
human behaviors that modify artifacts in their archaeological context–ex: digging pits, hearths, canals, and houses
reuse processes
human behaviors that recycle and reuse artifacts before the artifacts enter an archaeological context
floralturbation
a natural formation process in which trees and other plants affect the distribution of artifacts within an archaeological site
faunalturbation
a natural formation process in which animals, form large game to earthworms, affects the distribution of material within an archaeological site
krotovina
a filled-in animal burrow
cryoturbation
a natural formation process in which freeze/thaw activity in a soil selectively pushes larger artifacts to the surface of a site
argilliturbation
a natural formation process in which wet/dry cycles push artifacts upward as the sediment swells and then moves them down as cracks form during dry cycles
graviturbation
a natural formation process in which artifacts are moved downslope through gravity, sometimes assisted by precipitation runoff
