Introduction to Archaeology, Archaeological Dating Techniques and Conducting Field Work

Archaeology

the field of anthropology that studies the social and cultural past through material remains with the aim of describing events of the past and the meaning of those events

What is the difference of archaeology compared to other fields of anthropology?

they have nobody to talk to; what and who they study are not alive, so they study through material remains; study will be biased

Pseudoarchaeology (pseudoscience)

• descriptions of the past that claim to be based on fact but are actually fictional accounts of that distort our understanding of the past

Specializations of archaeology

• historic archaeology

• prehistoric archaeology (majority of archaeology is prehistoric)

• zooarchaeology

• bioarcaheology

• forensic archaeology

• maritime archaeology

Historic archaeology

studies the past using both physical artifacts and written records (like diaries, maps, deeds) to understand societies after writing began

Prehistoric archaeology

studies human societies before written records, focusing on material things like stone tools, cave art, and settlements to understand early cultures, technology, and daily life, relying on scientific analysis of artifacts, not texts, to reconstruct the past; ( majority of archaeology is this)

Zooarchaeology

the study of animal remains (bones, shells, teeth, etc.) from archaeological sites to understand past human-animal relationships, diet, domestication, environments, trade, and culture, providing insights into human behavior, subsistence, technology, and past ecosystems by analyzing how people used and interacted with animals for food, tools, ritual, or as pets

Bioarchaeology

the scientific study of past human remains (bones, teeth) found in archaeological contexts, combining biological anthropology and archaeology to understand past lives, health, diet, migration, and culture through biocultural analysis. It goes beyond just bones, using techniques like isotope analysis, DNA, and contextual data to reveal social organization, stress, disease, and daily life, filling gaps in historical records and giving a human face to the past

Forensic archaeology

the application of archaeological methods to legal investigations, such as crime scenes and disaster sites

Maritime archaeology

the study of past human cultures through their material remains in oceans, lakes, and rivers, focusing on how people interacted with water from ancient canoes to modern shipwrecks, submerged aircraft, and coastal sites, revealing insights into trade technology and daily life; It's essentially history underwater, exploring shipwrecks, harbors, and submerged landscapes to understand maritime heritage

Archaeological record

• consists of all the material evidence for past human activities and behavior

• sites

• artifacts

• features/structures

• human remains

• ecofacts/animal remains

Archaeological sites

geographical locations where there is at least some evidence of past human activity and behavior

What must an archaeological site must have?

• evidence of past human activity

• geographic boundary

Locus

area within an archaeological site

What do all sites have classifications of?

• geographic context

• function

• age

Site deposits

consists of materials incorporated into the different strata

Middens

• an accumulation of debris, resulting from human disposal behavior; may contain artifacts, zoo archaeological material, human bone, charcoal, plant remains

• garbage

• could see diet of past human population from animal remains in garbage

Artifacts

portable objects made, modified or used by humans

Context

the specific location in the ground of an artifact and all associated materials

Ecofacts

natural materials found at archaeological sites, like seeds, bones, pollen, or shells, that weren't made or significantly altered by humans but provide crucial clues about past environments, diets, and human activity

Features

• can include hearths, roads, dams, rock art, earthworks, structures

• architectural remains

Types of dating

• absolute dating

• relative dating

Radiometric dating

• absolute dating technique

• carbon 14

• potassium argon

• argon-argon dating

C14 dating

• radiometric dating

• based on the decay of c14 into non radioactive nitrogen 14

• used for direct dating

• decays (12 and 13 do not decay)

• can only be used on organic material (animal bones, human bones, plant remains)

• acid soils are not good for c14 dating

• only goes back 8-100k years

• will decay into a stable isotope

Potassium argon and argon-argon dating

• absolute dating technique

• radiometric dating technique

• usually for indirect dating

• used for fossils like Lucy

• can be used on material up to 500k years old

• will decay into a stable isotope

Luminescence dating

• absolute dating technique

• not a radiometric dating technique

• measures the amount of energy accumulated over time

• usually used on things that has been heated up (ex. ceramics)

Dendrochonology

• absolute dating technique

• not a radiometric dating technique

• has to do with tree ring dating

Stratigraphic dating

• relative dating technique

• law of superposition — the layer below is older than the layer above

Law of superposition

the layer below is older than the layer above

Why are drones used as an aerial method?

it is cheaper

Remote sensing

non destructive survey techniques used in archaeology that allow for observation of phenomena not visible on the surface

• aerial methods

• ground level methods

• water methods

Aerial methods/water methods

• aerial photography

• lidar

• 3d imaging

• thermal imaging

• drones

• kites

• planes

• helicopters

Ground based remote sensing

• magnetometry

• resistivity

• ground penetrating radar (GPR)

Map

a scaled symbolic representation of a segment of the earth’s surface as viewed from above; must have a scale and must be anchored, can’t be floating in space

Indian Creek

excavation and 3d mapping of burial example

Excavating sites

sites thought to contain important information; site must be completely mapped

Excavation units

represent specific areas within a site and often represent a smaller section of a feature

King tut’s tomb

• 1332-1323 BCE

• during in the valley of the kings and excavated in 1922

• four pieces of archaeological evidence leading to the discovery of the tomb