Studied by 99 people
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bioarchaeology
the study of human remains from archaeological context
degress of preservation
condition of bones, what taphonomic processes have been at work
burial practices, overall health and nutrition, age, sex, stature, disease, pathologies, and cause of death
diagenesis
decomposition of bone after burial
cist
box-shaped burial structure made of stone slabs on edges
single-internment
only one individual buried
multiple-internment
multiple individuals buried
skull cache
the offering is a decapitated human skull placed inside a ceramic vessel
intentional human sacrifice
skeletal health
dental caries and calculus
alveolar resorption
the wasting away of the bony socket around teeth, caused by inflammatory diseases (like periodontitis)
porotic hyperostosis
symptom of anemia in which the cranial vault takes on a spongy or porous appearance
cribra orbitalia
the other indicator for the presence of anemia are the pores present
harris lines
thin, bony, horizontal lines representing periods of arrested growth seen in radiographs of long bones in individuals that experienced nutritional stress
wilson bands/enamel hypoplasia
very small bands of thin enamel during short-lived nutritional stress
isotopic analysis of bone
determining an individual’s overall diet by look at the stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes that have built up in their bones
helps determine which resources are selected for consumption, how much was consumed, etc.
settlement patterns
the manner in which a particular group organized itself and occupied their geographical space
what settlement is based on
subsistence needs, resources, ideology, technology, and environment
wendy ashmore
she made plans of maya settlement units and her research provided info that the maya built their structure in predicted patterns
catchment analysis
where material found at a site were obtained, how much of an effort was necessary to procure those resources, and how much that procurement affected settlement
4 primary settlement patterns
foraging, horticulture, pastoralism, and agriculture
site components
age, site structure, function, and seasonality
activity areas
locations on a site where specific tasks take place, providing info on site structure and site function
seasonality studies
determine the season of collection of plants and/or the capture of animals
3 things to look for when investigating past subsistence
diet, technology, and organization
diet
what people habitually ate
technology
how people obtain, process, cook, store, and distribute their resources
organization
need to gather/harvest/hunt food effectively/efficiently; done through strategy, cooperation, management, planning, scheduling, and controlling
indirect evidence of subsistence
animal, plant, and shell remains
direct evidence of subsistence
bog people, stomach contents, and coprolites
zooarchaeology
the analysis and interpretation of animal remains from archaeological sites in order to understand the past interactions between people and animals
relationships between humans and animals
human subsistence, environmental reconstruction, animal symbolism, ceremonial/ritual use, transportation, entertainment, and companionship
NISP
number of individual specimens
raw number of identified bones per species
MNI
minimum number of bones
meat utility index
how much meat from various animals
paleoethnobotany
the analysis and interpretation of plant remains from archaeological site to understand the past interactions between ppl and plants
macrobotanical remains
plant remains that can be seen with the naked eye
microbotanical remains
plant remains that can only be seen microscopically
pollen
fine powdery substance consisting of microscopic grains coming from the male part of a flower
palynology
analysis of ancient plant pollen
phytoliths
tiny silica particles in plants
flotation devices
used to recover botanical remains
light fraction
carbonized plant remains and other plant remains that float
heavy fraction
heavier material like ceramics, lithics, and shells that sink
assemblage
all of the materials collected from a site and representing all of the evidence of those activites
subassemblage
a group of artifacts representing a single activity/context
classification
the placement of materials into categories that can be used for identification and comparison
attributes
an individual characteristic that distinguishes one artifact from another on the basis of its size, color, shape, decoration, or material; they are time sensitive
type
a class of artifacts defined by a consistent clustering of attributes
variety
variations of the main type
examples of attributes
material, form/morphology, technological, stylistic, and function
use-wear analysis
examining the wear patterns to determine usage
residue analysis
identifies the trace of material left on tools/ceramics
petrographic analysis
identifies the mineral composition of a ceramic pot through microscopic observation of thin sections
geochemical sourcing
determine the chemical component of stone artifacts in order to trace it to a point of origin
x-ray flourescence
a technique for identifying the chemical make-up of raw
