Key Archaeological Methods & Technologies

These flashcards cover key archaeological methods, technologies, and concepts related to excavation and dating techniques.

Reconnaissance Survey

Preliminary examination of a region to locate potential sites. walking over a site, seeing visbly

Cultural Resource Management (CRM)

Managing and preserving cultural heritage for future generations

Aerial Imagery / Satelitte

aerial - specific area of survey to take pictures of

satelittle - photos of the earth, larger areas

LiDAR

Laser scanning from aircraft to detect hidden ground features.

Magnetometry

Detects magnetic anomalies in soil caused by human activity.

Electrical Resistivity

Measures how soil resists electrical current to locate features underground.

Geophysical Prospecting

Non-invasive methods to detect buried structures.

GIS (Geographic Information Systems)

Used to map, analyze, and interpret spatial data.

Crop Marks / Soil Marks

Vegetation or soil color differences revealing subsurface features.

Stratigraphy

Study of soil layers; helps determine relative dating.

Principle of Superposition

Lower layers are older than those above them.

Provenience

Exact 3D location where an artifact is found.

In situ

Artifact remains in its original place of deposition.

Assemblage

Group of artifacts from the same context/time period.

Radiocarbon Dating

Dates organic material by measuring decay of C-14.

Thermoluminescence

Dates the last time an object was heated, used for ceramics.

Uranium-series Dating

Dates calcium carbonate; effective between 1,000–500,000 years.

Tree Rings (Dendrochronology)

Uses annual growth rings to date wood precisely.

Natural Transformations

Changes to sites due to erosion, flooding, animal activity, etc.

Cultural Transformations

Changes from human behavior like construction and looting.

Phase 1 Identification

Involves surface survey, shovel testing, remote sensing.

Phase 2 Evaluation

Test units to assess significance.

Phase 3

Full excavation and data recovery.