Module 5 Flashcards
Life science
The term that encompasses all scientific pursuits related to living organisms
Archaeology
The study of past human life as revealed by preserved relics
Artifact
Objects made by people such as tools, weapons, containers, etc.
Geology
The study of earths history as revealed in the rocks that make up the earth
Paleontology
The study of life’s history as revealed preserved in remains of once living organisms
Aristotle’s dictum
The benefit of the doubt is to be given to the document itself, not assigned by the critic to himself
Known age
The age of an artifact as determined by a date printed on it or the reference to the artifact in a work of history
Dendrochronology
The process of counting tree rings to determine the age of the tree
Radiometric dating
Using a radioactive process to determine the age of an item
Absolute age
The calculated age of an artifact from a specific dating method that is used to determine when an artifact was made
The principle of superposition
When artifacts are found in a rock or earth that is layered, the deeper layers hold the older artifacts
