Exam 2 Material Flashcards
Nodule
An unworked piece of stone
Core
A worked piece of stone with flakes removed
Knapping
making stone tools by intentionally removing a series of flakes
Lithics
shaped stone artifacts
Pebble cores
Made of rounded clasts (cobbles or pebbles)
Shaped by hard hammer percussion
Choppers - worked edge makes 50-75% of the circumference of the core
Discoids - worked edge makes 75-100% of the core circumference
Bifacial cores
Bilaterally symmetrical with flake removals occurring on both the upper and lower faces of the core
Exhibit unequal length, width, and thickness
Handaxes - at least one sharply pointed end
Thinned bifaces - sharp points at one or both ends
Thickness less than ⅕ of its greatest width
Prepared cores
Display hierarchy of flake release surfaces
One side of the worked edge is used preferentially as a striking platform
Adjacent side - flake release platform
Tools
the intentional product of the manufacturing process
Waste
unused material that results from the process
Debitage
shatter, chips, and debris
Higher artifact diversity ->
Lower residential mobility
High % of cortical flakes ->
Tool production site
High % of retouched tools ->
Activity/habitation area
High % of large cores ->
Close proximity to raw material
Ceramics
made of clay and hardened by heat
Pottery
pots, dishes, containers, and other vessels made of baked clay
Making Pottery
Step 1
Collecting raw materials
Making Pottery
Step 2
Preparing the paste
Making Pottery
Step 3
Shaping the vessel
Making Pottery
Step 4
Decorating
Making Pottery
Step 5
Firing
Open Firing
Produces ceramics with dark, black cores
Kiln Firing
Produces lighter, redder interiors
Pottery Shape and size
provide clues about vessel use
Pottery Content
associated artifacts and features also provide clues about the use
Pottery Residues
reveal both use and contents
Ceramic Stylistic patterns
reflect identity, social organization, and ideology
Ceramic Provenience Studies
Visual inspection
Petrographic analysis
Compositional analysis
Wild wheat
brittle rachis and tough glume
Glume won’t snap as easily, but the rachis will for seed distribution
Domesticated wheat
tough rachis and brittle glume
Rachi won’t snap as easily but the glume will, depends on humans for rep
Types of Microbotanical Remains
Pollen and spores
Phytoliths
Diatoms
Starch
Palynology
The study of pollen
Zooarcheology
Study of animal remains from archeological sites
Bone, teeth, antlers, ivory, hides, hair, shells, scales, blood, etc.
Number of Identified Species (NISP)
A measurement used to identify the number of individuals of each species that are present at a site
Provide information on the relative importance of different animals
Taphonomy
Study of what happens to an organism after its death
Distinct bone surface indicator
Abrasion, rounding, and fragmentation ->
result of physical process of water, rolling, trampling, or exposure
Distinct bone surface indicator
Cracking and flaking of surface creates fibrous surface ->
result of weathering of bone on exposed ground surface
Distinct bone surface indicator
Bioerosion ->
weathering by various animals, insects, and other animals (tooth and gnaw marks)
Distinct bone surface indicator
Bleached, white bones ->
result of sun exposure for an extended period of time
Distinct bone surface indicator
Charred/burned bone ->
intentional or unintentional exposure to fire
Distinct bone surface indicator
Cut marks ->
result of intentional human butchery of an animal carcass
Shell middens
Huge heaps of shells found on coasts and riverbeds in various parts of the world
provide crucial information on diet, local habitat, climate, seasonality of site occupation
Bioarchaeology
Study of human skeletal remains from archeological contexts
Primary Burial
Original place the body was buried,
Articulated body position
Secondary Burial
Where the remains are moved to after the primary burial,
Disarticulated position
Paleopathology
Examination of the medical disorders and injuries a person sustained in life (stress and disease)
Can identify health status and stress - bone fractures, arthritis, and periodontal disease, and nutritional problems
Mortuary analysis
Study of graves
Includes analysis of human skeleton remains, the contents, and the pit or chamber
Ascribed status
positions of power determined by lineage and inheritance (born into power)
Achieved status
positions of power achieved throughout a lifetime
