Probing the Past Flashcards
Who was Lewis Binford?
An archaeologist that promoted the need for archaeology to use natural science methods.
Define Archaeological Site
A location of past human activity (based off of observation) or an area of archaeological research
What is an Habitation Site?
A general term for any area that has evidence of a domestic activity, such as food preparation.
What is a Kill Site?
A site used for killing and butchering animals.
What is a Ceremonial Site?
A site with an amount of significance because current (modern) populations are aware (due to oral history) of significance.
What is an Historical Site?
Access to documents with site.
How are sites found?
Sites are discovered accidentally or through archaeological site survey.
What is a Pedestrian Survey?
Walking the surface looking for evidence of a site.
What is a Test Pit?
A methodically dug hole, down to a certain depth, (depending on previous knowledge) and looking for evidence of human activity.
What is Proton Magnetometry?
A remote sensing technique that picks up on the minor fluctuations of the earth’s magnetic field due to past disturbances, using arial photos.
What is Ground Penetrating Radar?
Using wavelengths to determine possible disturbances/items of interest.
Define Feature
Something that is non-portable in the archaeological site.
Define Artifacts
Objects that were created/made by humans and their ancestors.
Define Ecofacts
Referring to natural items (bones/seeds) that are found in cultural context.
Define Zooarchaeology
Studying/looking at animal ecofacts.
