Final Review Vocab : Intro to Archeology

Cultural History

Change over time

Processual

Environmental adaptation

Post Processual

Focus on ideology and power

Site

A spatially-limited cluster of artifacts and features

Settlement Pattern

The distribution of sites in an area

Landscape

Connections between natural and meaningful spaces

Context

Refers to the location or situation

Association

What was found with an artifact

Preservation Factors

Factors such as moisture, temperature, and oxygen impacting items like wood, bones, and seeds

Dendrochronology

The study of tree rings

Radiocarbon Dating

Dating method based on the amount of Carbon 14 present, which is unstable

Assemblage

A collection of bones found together

Ecofact

Ecological artifacts, such as plants and animals

Artifact

An object made or modified by human beings

Paleoethnobotany

The study of macrobotanical remains and pollen diagrams

National Historic Preservation Act

Designed to incorporate archaeological practices and protections into federal building projects

National Register of Historic Places criteria

Includes association with important persons, events, architectural styles, and significant information

Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act

Requires federally funded groups to find native items in their collections and repatriate them