The Archaeologist Flashcards
Artefact
Man made objects from the past eg: pottery,coins,tools and weapons
Archaeologist
They study of what has been left behind by people from the past. They find clues/evidence
Research archaeology
Some sites are chosen to be excavated because there is reason to believe that an artefact will be found eg: story or reference to the area in a document.
Geophysical survey
Archaeologists x-Ray the site with a machine to look at the soil beneath.
Rescue archaeology
Archaeologists carry out a dig before construction of a new road or building taken place.
Aerial photograph
A photo of the site taken from the sky. It might show features not visible from ground level
Post holes
Dark patches left by wooden poles in the soil. They might show the outline of a house even though the house no longer exists.
Stratigraphy
A method of dating artefacts. The lower down in the soil they are found the older they are.
Carbon or Radiocarbon
A method of dating artefacts. All living things contain carbon-14. When the living thing dies it begins to lose carbon-14. The older the object,the less carbon-14 in it.
Dendrochronology
A method of dating wooden objects. Each year a tree adds a new ring to its trunck. These rings add up to tell us the age of the tree. Archaeologists study ring patterns on wooden objects to date them.