Archaeological Methods and Concepts

Vocabulary flashcards covering core concepts, terminology, contexts, and methodology from the archaeological lecture transcript.

Archaeological Record

Surviving physical remains of past human activity plus processes that affected them.

Archaeological Scale

The range of time and space being examined.

Systemic Context

Material participating in an active living cultural system.

Archaeological Context

A material's location and its relationships after entering the archaeological record.

Matrix

The material surrounding a find, usually sediment.

Provenience

The precise horizontal and vertical coordinates of a find.

Association

A find's relationship with other archaeological materials.

Primary Context

A deposit that has remained largely undisturbed since original deposition.

Use-related Primary Context

Material found where it was originally used or made.

Transposed Primary Context

Material moved from its use/manufacture location before deposition, then left largely undisturbed.

Secondary Context

Context whose matrix, provenience, and association were altered by transformation.

C-transform

A cultural/human transformation of the archaeological record.

N-transform

A natural/environmental transformation of the archaeological record.

Debitage

Waste debris produced during stone-tool manufacture.

Tell

An occupational mound formed by long-term accumulation, rebuilding, rubble, and refuse.

Accretion

Gradual accumulation over time.

Stratigraphy

Study of strata/layers and their relative sequence through time.

Mehrgarh, Pakistan

Slide example of a Neolithic grave in primary context.

Chaco, New Mexico

Slide example of mealing bins in primary context.

Farasan, Saudi Arabia

Slide example of a midden in primary context.

Reconnaissance

Preliminary, largely unsystematic exploration used to inform later systematic survey.

Systematic Archaeological Survey

Collection of data on location, distribution, and organization of activity from surface remains.

Pedestrian Survey

Survey method where surveyors systematically walk across a landscape looking for archaeological evidence.

Survey Traverse

An individual survey path whose direction and length are recorded.

MARP

Maski Archaeological Research Project, conducted in Karnataka in southern India.

Systematic Surface Collection

Controlled collection of surface materials to study their spatial distribution.

Stratified Random Sampling

A sampling method where an area is divided into strata, then randomly sampled within each stratum.

Bukkasagara

An archaeological site where ceramic-density mapping and stratified sampling helped reveal spatial patterns of refuse and an iron-working area marked by slag.

Magnetometry

A ground-based remote-sensing technique measuring magnetic-field strength/gradients and anomalies caused by subsurface features.

Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR)

A ground-based remote-sensing method that provides depth information about subsurface anomalies and buried features like graves.

Test Pitting

Small exploratory excavation used to quickly assess buried deposits.

Vertical Excavation

A relatively deep excavation with limited horizontal extent aimed at reaching the base of cultural deposits and reconstructing site chronology.

Horizontal Excavation

Broad excavation exposing a large area at a particular occupational level to study spatial relationships and social/economic organization.

Sterile Soil

A deposit with no evidence of cultural material.

Screening

The excavation task of sifting sediment to recover small artifacts and ecofacts that might otherwise be missed.