It's a Material World: Archaeology & Material Culture

Vocabulary flashcards covering key archaeological terms, methods, and exemplars discussed in the lecture "It's a Material World."

Archaeology

The scientific study of human cultures—past or present—through the material remains people make, use, and discard.

Archaeological Record

The totality of material remains of human activity (artifacts, features, sites, ecofacts) found across the world.

Material Culture

All physical objects and modifications of the environment created or used by people, studied to understand their culture.

Artifact

Any portable object made, modified, or used by humans (e.g., tools, coins, pottery).

Feature

A non-portable human-made or modified element of a site (e.g., house foundations, hearths, roads, latrines).

Site

Any location where people lived or carried out activities and left evidence of their presence.

Prehistoric Site

A site dating to a time before the invention of writing; interpreted solely through material evidence.

Historic Site

A site from a period with written records, interpreted using both documents and archaeological data.

Survey (Archaeological)

A systematic search of a region to locate sites, artifacts, or features before excavation begins.

Surface Survey

A ground-level inspection in which archaeologists walk an area looking for artifacts or features visible on the surface.

Aerial Survey

The use of photographs or remote sensing from aircraft, balloons, drones, or satellites to detect buried or large-scale features.

Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR)

Geophysical technology that sends radar pulses into the soil to locate buried objects or structures without digging.

Excavation

The careful, systematic digging of a site to uncover buried artifacts and features; the main source of archaeological data.

Grid System

A network of measured squares laid over a site to record the exact horizontal and vertical location of finds.

Provenience

The precise three-dimensional location of an artifact or feature within a site’s grid; critical for interpretation.

Vertical Position (Stratigraphy)

An artifact’s depth below the surface, often used to determine relative age—deeper layers are usually older.

Flotation

A water-based technique that separates light organic remains (seeds, charcoal, insects) from heavier soil and artifacts.

Radiocarbon (Carbon-14) Dating

A method that measures the decay of radioactive carbon in organic material to determine ages up to about 50,000 years.

Ethnoarchaeology

The study of living cultures to observe how their activities create material remains, aiding interpretation of ancient sites.

Experimental Archaeology

The recreation and practical use of ancient technologies or structures to understand how artifacts were made and used.

Midden (Trash Heap)

An ancient garbage pile; a rich source of information on diet, tool use, and daily life of past peoples.

Necropolis

A large, deliberately planned cemetery or “city of the dead,” such as the Giza Necropolis in Egypt.

Pyramids of Giza

Massive Fourth-Dynasty Egyptian royal tombs (ca. 2589-2504 BCE) that reveal beliefs about kingship, afterlife, and engineering skill.

Rosetta Stone

A trilingual stele (Greek and two forms of Egyptian) that unlocked the translation of hieroglyphics; now in the British Museum.

Repatriation (of Artifacts)

The return of cultural objects to their country or culture of origin, often after colonial or wartime removal.

Hanging Coffins

Funerary practice in parts of China, Indonesia, and the Philippines where coffins are placed on cliffs to keep the dead ‘closer to heaven.’

Sky Burial

Tibetan Buddhist rite in which a corpse is left on a high place for scavenging birds, reflecting beliefs in impermanence and generosity.

Jazz Funeral

A New Orleans procession in which a brass band accompanies the deceased, starting with somber music and ending with upbeat celebration of life.