archaeology quiz 2

project design

asking questions, research design, permits, consultation, background, fieldwork, data analysis, and writing a report.

survey

the non-destructive process of investigating a region to identify and map the location and distribution of archaeological sites and artifacts

escavation

the controlled digging and meticulous documentation of a site to recover and analyze artifacts, ecofacts, and features from the past to understand past human life and environment

Cultural Resource Management (CRM)

helps guide smart, sustainable economic development and safeguard important historic and cultural heritage assets.

Artifact

any physical object made, modified, or used by past human cultures that provides historical or cultural information

Ecofact

a natural object, such as a seed, bone, or shell, that was not made or altered by humans but provides archaeological significance, often revealing details about the past environment, climate, diet, and available resources of ancient cultures

Feature

a physical, non-portable trace of human activity, such as a hearth, wall, posthole, or pit, that is integrated into a site's landscape and cannot be removed without altering its form

assemblage

a group of artifacts and other materials (like ecofacts) found together in a shared archaeological context, such as a specific stratum or feature

screening

a process used to separate artifacts and other materials from soil during excavation

stratigraphy

layers of soil, and it helps date different components of a site, using the law of superposition.

terrain

the physical land and its features

site formation processes

the cultural and natural events that create, alter, and preserve archaeological sites over time

shovel test

used to discover and pinpoint areas worth investigating in the early part of an excavation. Once an area has been identified as a cultural site, small holes are excavated along a grid at equal distances and depths.

test pits

a small, systematically dug hole in the ground used to investigate subsurface deposits and assess the presence of cultural materials (artifacts and features)

box excavation

a grid of squares laid out closely to one another, but with baulks in between

context

the full range of information surrounding an artifact, ecofact, or feature, including its exact location (provenience), the surrounding materials (matrix), and its association with other finds

level (recovery level)

horizontal division in an archaeological site, distinguished from one another by differences in artefacts, colour, texture, or other characteristics indicative of changing populations or human activities over time.

stratigraphy excavation/level

a method of digging and recording layers of soil or sediment (called strata) in their natural order to understand the chronological sequence of events at a site

arbitrary excavation/level

dividing excavation sites into predetermined, standardized units or layers

grid

systematic division of an excavation site into a series of squares or rectangles, used to create a precise framework for documenting the location and context of artifacts and features

monitoring

observation of construction activities by an archaeologist in order to identify, document, protect, and/or recover potential archaeological resources discovered during those activities

four purposes of recording an excavation

recording location (position, geometry, distribution), recording the properties of elements that are observed but not kept (strata, stratigraphy), recording elements that are kept(‘finds’ including biota, samples) and monitoring (recording what has been recorded,how and why).

47R0420

location of chapin street parking lot

state, county, order in which site was reported

gentility

the perceptions, social aspirations and cultural ideals that the image of the gentleman or gentlewoman evokes

consumer behavior

studies the past use and meaning of material objects to understand how people consumed goods and how consumption influenced their societies

cultural identity

the understanding of past peoples' shared values, beliefs, and customs as expressed through material remains like artifacts and structures

CC value index

a way to gauge the cost of an entire ceramics assemblage by calculating the cost of the individual refined earthenwares that it includes, based on index values

theoretical archaeology

uses various intellectual frameworks to interpret the past by connecting archaeological data to broader questions about human behavior, society, and culture

cultural ecology

the study of human adaptations to social and physical environments

New Archaeology (Processual Archaeology)

a scientific approach to archaeology developed in the 1960s that emphasizes understanding the processes of cultural change through systematic, objective scientific methods

Post-processual (Interpretive Archaeology)

an archaeological approach that emphasizes the subjective, interpretive nature of understanding the past, challenging the scientific objectivity of processual archaeology

monocausal explanation of cultural change

asserts that a single factor, or "prime mover," is the primary or sole cause of a specific cultural transformation

social learning

the process of acquiring knowledge, behaviors, and skills through the observation, imitation, and modeling of others, often within a social context

Bell Beaker

an archaeological culture named after the inverted-bell beaker drinking vessel used at the beginning of the European Bronze Age, arising from around 2800 BC.

Where was the cow horn found

Misgund in the Eastern Cape of South Africa

How did archaeologyists determine the function of the cow horn?

chemical analyses of the contents.

possible uses of plant extracts

treat infection,  supernatural bewitchment.