Archaeology Practice Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering core archaeological terms, theories, scientific methods, legal frameworks, and major site case studies.

Archaeological record

The physical remains of human activity that have survived to the present day.

Material culture

The physical objects, resources, and spaces that people use to define their culture.

Features

Non-portable archaeological remains that cannot be moved without being destroyed, such as hearths or pits.

Artifacts

Portable objects made, modified, or used by humans.

Ecofacts

Natural remains such as plant or animal materials that provide information about past environments or diets.

Stratigraphy

The study and analysis of the sequential layering of deposits or strata.

Radiocarbon dating

An absolute dating method used for organic materials based on the decay of the Carbon-$14$ isotope.

Processual archaeology

An archaeological framework that emphasizes the scientific method and the explanation of cultural processes.

Post-processual archaeology

A movement that emphasizes human agency, subjectivity, and the symbolic meanings behind material culture.

Cultural Resource Management (CRM)

Applied archaeology concerned with the protection and management of archaeological sites in accordance with heritage laws.

Bioarchaeology

The study of human remains from archaeological contexts to understand past lives, health, and social structures.

Osteology

The scientific study of the structure and function of bones.

Stable isotope analysis

A laboratory technique used to interpret paleodiet and mobility patterns based on chemical signatures in bones or teeth.

Palynology

The study of fossil pollen grains to reconstruct past environments and vegetation.

Dendroclimatology

The use of tree-ring analysis to study and reconstruct past climate conditions.

Antiquities Act of $1906$ (USA)

A United States law providing for the protection of historic and prehistoric sites and artifacts on federal lands.

National Historic Preservation Act, USA ($1966$)

Legislation that established the National Register of Historic Places and created Section $106$ review processes.

Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) ($1990$)

Federal law requiring the return of Native American cultural items and human remains to lineal descendants and affiliated tribes.

UNESCO Convention of $1970$

Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export, and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.

UNESCO Convention of $1972$

Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

UNIDROIT Convention ($1995$)

International convention on stolen or illegally exported cultural objects.

Vermillion Accord ($1989$)

A World Archaeology Congress (WAC) agreement regarding the ethical treatment of human remains.

Garbology

The archaeological study of modern refuse to understand contemporary human behavior.

Undocumented Migration Project

An archaeological study focusing on the material culture and experiences of modern migration.

Lost wax casting

A metallurgical process used in the Indus Valley and other civilizations to create metal objects from a wax model.

Aşıklı Höyük

An early Aceramic Neolithic settlement in Central Anatolia.

Uluburun shipwreck

A Late Bronze Age shipwreck discovered off the coast of Turkey, providing evidence of extensive Mediterranean trade.

Sunwatch Indian Village

A reconstructed Fort Ancient culture site in Ohio used for archaeological research and public education.

New York African Burial Ground

A site in Lower Manhattan containing the remains of free and enslaved Africans from the $17^{th}$ and $18^{th}$ centuries.

Otzi

A well-preserved natural mummy of a man who lived between $3400$ and $3100$ BCE, found in the Ötztal Alps.