Unit 2: Introduction to Archaeology I. Field Methods

What does it mean by archaeology is a destructive science?

This means that an archaeological site can be excavated only once. There is no second chance. For this reason, excavations have to be carefully planned.

When do past physical remains become archaeological data

When archaeologists recognize their significance as evidence and collect and record them to obtain information about past lifeways

The materials composing the archaeological record are divided into three mai

Archaeological record

This term is typically used to designate the preserved range of archaeological materials indicating past human activities, from biological and ecological remains to weapons and clothing

The materials composing the archaeological record are typically divided into three main categories:

Artefacts, features, and ecofacts

Artefacts

are portable objects created, fashioned and/or altered by humans, including stone and bone tools, pottery and metal objects (e.g., a flint scraper, a basket, a piece of clay).

Four main kinds of archaeological artefacts

lithic artefacts, ceramic artefacts, metal artefacts and organic artefacts.

Ecofacts

are natural organic and environmental remains that have cultural relevance.

Three main kinds of ecofacts

human remains, animal bones, and plant remains

Features

are non-portable artefacts, that is, objects created, fashioned and/or altered by humans that cannot be removed from their place of discovery without altering their meaning in a significant way.

Some examples of features

Hearths, burials, and pits

Complex features or:

Structures

Structures

a term typically used to refer to different kinds of buildings, from houses to temples.

Archaeological sites

places containing remains of past human activities that have been preserved in the archaeological record.

Archaeological regions

well-defined geographic areas including several related archaeological sites

The matrix

the material surrounding an archaeological find.

The provenience

refers to the vertical and horizontal location of a find in an archaeological site.

Primary context

The original position of a find when it entered into the archaeological record. 

Secondary context

resulting from disturbance of the matrix and the provenience.

Site prospection

refers to the process through which archaeologists locate sites and regions without excavation.

Surface surveying techniques

are used to detect archaeological evidence that is present on the ground. This is usually done by walking through a designated area looking for visible archaeological evidence.

Surface survey main techniques

Ground reconnaissance and reconnaissance survey

Aerial surveying techniques

are used to detect archaeological features and structures by using airborne sensing methods.

Aerial survey main techniques

• Aerial photographs

• satellite imagery

• Non-visible wavelengths

Subsurface surveying techniques

consist of a number of ground-based remote sensing methods to detect features and structures beneath the surface. Surface and aerial survey are usually complemented by subsurface survey.

Main subsurface survey techniques

• Probes

• Shovel test pits (STPs)

• Seismic and Acoustic methods

Datum point

A point within the site that serves as a reference to locate the exact position of all information collected from the site.

The grid system

pinpoints the location of archaeological data with reference to a system of parallels and perpendicular lines that divide the site into 1 or 2 meter squares.

Stratigraphy

the main method that archaeologists have at their disposal to understand changes throughout time in a site.

Law of superposition

when a stratum overlies another, the lower was deposited first.