ANT 003 - Midterm #1 Studyguide
Core Definitions & Evidence Types
—Basic archaeological concepts—
1. Archaeology: The study of past human societies through their material remains, including artifacts, buildings, bones, food remains, and landscapes.
Example: Excavating an ancient village to understand what people ate, traded, and how they lived.)
2. Archaeological Site: A location where evidence of human activity is found.
Example: A campsite containing stone tools, charcoal, and animal bones.
3. Deep Time: The immense span of time involved in Earth’s history and human evolution, extending far beyond written history.
Why it matters: Archaeologists often investigate societies that existed thousands or millions of years ago. Different dating methods are needed to investigate different time periods.
4. Artifacts (Subtractive, Additive, Altered)
Artifacts are portable objects made, used, or modified by humans. Artifacts provide evidence of human choices, technology, and behavior.
- Subtractive: Made by removing material from a larger object. Example: carving a stone tool from a rock.
- Additive: Made by adding or combining material. Example: building a clay vessel by adding coils of clay.
- Altered: A naturally occurring object modified by people. Example: a stone sharpened for cutting.
5. Stratigraphy: The study of layers of soil, sediment, and archaeological deposits.Used to establish relative age.
In an undisturbed site, lower layers generally formed before upper layers. Archaeologists use this relationship to establish the relative order of events.
6. In Situ: A Latin phase meaning “in its original place”. An artifact in situ has not been moved from its original archaeological position.
7. Coring: A non‑invasive technique for extracting a continuous, minimally disturbed cylinder of soil, sediment, or rock from a site. (Typically using a hollow cylindrical device called a corer.)
8. Auger: A tool used to drill into soil and extract a narrow sample, often to investigate soil layers or locate archaeological deposits.
—Evidence types of and archaeological materials—
9. Ecofacts: Natural remains that provide evidence about past human activities or environments but were not manufactured by humans.
Examples: Animal bones, charcoal, seeds, and pollen.
10. Features (Midden) : Any large unmovable object or structure modified or manufactured by humans.
Example: Fire pits, postholes, house foundations, and pits.
A midden is a deposit of discarded material such as shells, food remains, brown tools, and household refuse.
11. Lithics (Flaked and Ground): Stone tools or stone materials used in tool production.
- Flaked: Made by striking or chipping stone to remove flakes. Strap obsidian & Flint blades.
- Ground: Made by grinding, pecking, or polish stone into desired shape. Ex: Mortars & Axes.
12. Faunal Remains: Animal remains recovered from archaeological sites, including bones, teeth, shells, and other preserved animal materials.
13. Osseous Material: Materials made from animal bones, antler, ivory, horn, or shell.
14. Mesh Size: The size of the opening in a sieve used to screen excavated soil.
15. Flotation: A technique for recovering tiny archaeological materials, especially plant remains, from soil.
Example: Recovering charred wheat or corn kernels that reveal ancient diets and farming practices.
—Archaeological research and methods—
16. Cultural Resource Management (CRM): The identification, evaluation, and protection of archaeological and other cultural resources, often in response to construction or development.
Example: Archaeologists survey a site before a highway project to determine whether significant cultural resources may be affected.
17. Academic Archaeology: Research conducted primarily through universities, museums, and research institutions,often emphasizing scholarship, teaching, and publication.
18. Indigenous Archeology: Research that recognizes Indigenous peoples' knowledge, rights, perspectives, and authority concerning their heritage.
19. Amateur Archeology: Archaeological interest or participation by people who are not professional archaeologists.
20. Pseudoarchaeology: Involves presenting theories about ancient history that lack empirical support and do not follow scientific archaeological practices.
21. Looters / Pothunters: People who remove artifacts from archaeological sites for personal gain, collecting, or sale without appropriate authorization.
22. Shovel Test Unit: A small test excavation, often a shovel-sized hole, used to check whether archaeological materials are present beneath the surface.
23. Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR): A remote-sensing method that sends radar pulses into the ground and records reflections from buried features or changes in subsurface materials. (It can help locate possible walls, graves, foundations, or other buried features without excavating them.)
27
