Archaeological Science

the study of our human past, combining the themes of time and change, using the material remains that have survived

the study of the biological nature of our nearest relatives and ourselves

the study of living peoples with a focus on the shared aspects of the human experience

the study of human languages

archaeological investigations that seek to answer the larger, fundamental questions about humans and human behavior taught in departments of anthropology

the time in the past before written history, often synonymous with archaeology

refers primarily to the archaeology of the civilizations of the recent industrail era, since 1700 or so

a branch of archaeology primarily concerned with the literate Mediterranean civilizations of Greece and Rome

Historical preservation in the United states involves survey and excavation to determine that historical and cultural resources are not being destroyed by development and construction

false or misleading claims about the nature of the world or the past, masquerading as science

a generally accepted explanation of observed events or relationships

abrupt and sudden changes in the pace of evolution

modern experiments to reporoduce artifacts, architecture, and/or techniques from the past

the overall strategy of intended methods, research area, and planned analysis for answering a question or questions about the past

archaeological study of living societies for information to help better understand the past

a means of human adaptation based on intelligence, experience, learning, and the use of tools; the general set of behaviors and knowledge that humans use to survive and adapt

a group of related materials from a region that indicate a common or shared way of doing things

the study of human populations with a focus on size, age, and sex distribution, birth and death rates, and migration. Prehistoric demography is also known as paleodemography

a group of related materials from a region that indicate a common or shared way of doing things

the material, equipment, techniques, and knowledge that allow humans to convert natural resources into tools, food, clothing, shelter, and other products they need or want

the means and methods that society uses to obtain food, water, and resources for maintenance and growth

structure and interaction in human resources into tools, food, clothing, shelter, and other products they need or want

the explanation of human, natural, and supernatural relationships through belief, ritual, and ceremony

(1) All of the people living at a place or in a region. An archaeological population generally refers to the people related through membership in the same group

(2) All of the items or units of interest in statistical sampling

the set of human remains found interred in a site or cemetery

the number of people per unit of area e.g., square kilometer

the geographic area an animal uses for feeding and other activities; in archaeology, the term generally refers to the area used by mobile hunter-gathers

a recognized and defended area utilized b a group of society, often associated with agricultural societies

a sovereign, region, marked by boundaries and defended by military power, usually associated with state-level societies

large sovereign space, expanded by military conquest and encompassing several countries and/or territories, associated with state-level societies

a manual water hoist used for irrigation in ancient egypt

an oxen-powered water wheel used for irrigation in ancient egypt

the creation or development of new ideas or techniques for solving problems

the spread of new ideas or materials from group to another

movement of new people into an area

the activities and materials that people use to obtain food

people who obtain their food from wild plants and animals, not domesticated species

nonfarmers; groups who subsist by hunting, collecting, fishing, and the like without domesticated plants or animals

transfer of material or information among individuals or groups

the exchange of items of roughly equal value

the movement of goods to a central place from which they are rationed or portioned out to members of society

economic transactions between individuals or groups involving bartering, buying, or selling

organization of tasks involving different groups doing different activities for the sake of efficieny

a distinctive decoration on pottery produced by pressing a cord-wrapped stick into the soft clay of a pot before firing

a dwelling constructed over a hole in the ground, semisubterranean structure; a structure built on a semisubterranean foundation

the detailed investigation of a group of people, traditionally non-Western, through participant observation and descriptions of practices, activities, behaviors, and beliefs

branch of ethnography that combines sources from history, archaeology, and oral traditioons in the serch for answers about past people

comparison between ethnography and archaeology to explain similar things

tangible, surviving evidence of human activities

the body of information about the past that has survived to the present

the objects and materials that people have made and used

accumulations of artifacts and features, representing the places where people lived or carried out certain activities

large geographic areas, containing a number of archaeological sites that have been physically or conceptually modified

(1) different levels of discovery, analysis, and intpretation in archaeology

(2) the size of a map relative to the area it portrays

detailed characteristics of archaeological materials and information

early human ancestor, fossil form

place and association among the archaeological materials and the situation in which they occur

the original position of an object in its place of discard or deposition; in place

the original position of an object in its place of discard or deposition; in place; primary context

the place of discovery or origin. Where an item is from

unmodified, natural items found in archaeological contexts, often plant or animal material

generic term for the archaeological remains of plants

generic term for the archaeological remains of animals

the permanent facilities and structures that people construct in or on the earth

any substantial accumulation of garbage or waste at a locus of human activity; archaeological deposits of trash and/or shells that accumulate in heaps and mounds. A shell midden is a specific type of midden composed largely of mollusk shells

burial of all or part of a corpse; contrast with cremation

the incinerated remains of a human body

an empty grave, without a body

location of specific tasks or behaviors within a site

a related set of different things

one object or artifact type that appears in a number of assemblages

an assemblage from a single layer, living floor, or occupation horizon; a set of materials in contemporary use by the same group of people

a mixture of different episodes or periods of activity

the remains of a single episode of human activity

the layer or stratum that accumulates during an episode of human habitation and activity

the actual places where people lived and carried out their activities

the continuity of similar artifacts and design through time

layer or assemblage associated with geological strata or archaeological contents - usage includes a soil horizon, a cultural; the geographic extent of similar artifacts and design in space

a particular period in time and space where an assemblage occurs

sites on land and uncovered, in contrast to sites in caves or rockshelters

a shallow cave or overhang, defined by having a width greater than its depth

sites visible on the surface of the ground

The areas between archaeological sites where there are occasional traces of human activitiy in the form of isolated artifacts, features, or other evidence

places of habitation where people live and carry out the everyday activities that sustain life

a short-term, temporary settlement, usually associated with hunter-gatherers or nomads

a small village with just a handful of houses and a small number of inhabitants

a small residential unit of permanent houses with a population of less than a few hundred

larger than a village with internal differentiation in size and location of structures and usually containing one or more public buildings

an urban agglomeration with a population of 10,000 or more, internal differentiation, and distinct civic or ceremonial areas within its boundries

nonresidential localities where some members of the society obtain food or other resources

a specialized kind of extractive site, a mound made up o f large dumps of shell from mussels, oysters, or other species

decoration of rock surface by painting, pecking, or engraving

rock art made by the application of pigment to rock surfaces

rock art made by removing the outer surface of a rock by carving or hammering

a humanly modified or perceived area

a built pile or heap of earth or stones, resembling a very small hill, usually a burial monument

a stone monument, carved and/or painted with designs and/or inscriptions, common in the Maya region

an accumulated mound of occupation debris; man-made settlement mounds of earth and trash that accumulate from the decomposition of mud-brick, common in southwest asia and southeast europe

a concept from geography whereby interaction among settlements is based on size, similar to interaction among planets based on gravity. Bigger communities have more interaction and influence on smaller communities

the processes involved in the creation of archaeological sites

the actual use of artifacts and features in the past or present

the buried or surface context in which archaeological remains ar found; what survives to the present

modification of the archaeological record caused by human activity

modification of the archaeological record by geological, hydrological, or chemical activity

gradual movement of sediments from higher to lower ground as a natural process of erosion and deposition

the study of what happens to a plat or animal between its death and the time it is found as a fossil or archaeological remain

disturbance of the archaeological record from plant and animal activities such as root growth or animal digging

the actual surface of occupation at an archaeological site, sometime spreserved under unusual conditions of deposition

collectively known as fieldwork, an important part of archaeological research involves survey for and excavation of archaeological materials, practices normally done outdoors (in the field)

(1) A systematic reconnaissance of the landscape for artifacts and sites on the ground through aerial photography, field walking, soil analysis, or geophysical prospecting

(2) mapping of sites and areas using surveying instruments such as a total station or GPS

the exposure, recording, and recovery of buried materials from the past

in contrast to professional archaeologists, who are educated in the discipline, amateur or vocational archaeologists collect artifacts, study archaeology, and participate in professionally run excavations. Amateur archaeologoists are an important part of the field and have made substantial contributions to our knowledge of the past

the search for artifacts and sites by survey or field walking

making maps and plans of places and areas of archaeological interest using survey instruments such as a total station or global positioning satellite systems

a dry lake bed common geomorphological feature in the wester US

the pattern of subsistence and settlement found among hunter-gathers who change residence regularly during the course of a year

limitations on human activity imposed by the environment. For example aird conditions are an ecological constraint on agriculture

a generic term for the region of focus of a research project

a portion of a whole (n)

to take a part of a deposit, site, feature, or artifact for analysis (v)

The term sampling describes the process of taking a sample. This can be a one-time event, a series of actions, or a statistical process. Statistical sampling is a specific method for taking samples that allows probability estimates to be made about the population that is being sampled. Archaeologists almost always take samples, but only rarely is this done in a statistical fashion

a subsistence and settlement pattern observed among some groups of hunter-gatherers who live in two places at different seasons during the course of a year

the records of a field project of survey or excavation with description of activities, finds, records of samples, drawings, photographs, and the like. An important document of the research project

a point with known locational coordinates and elevation; a fixed point for surveying

normally a 1-m² frame of wood or aluminum fitted with a grid of string or wire at 20-cm intervals. It is used for drawing detailed plans of vertical sections or horizontal floors in archaeological excavations

a schematic map of topography, the three-dimensional surface of the earth or other features. Contours are conventionally shown as a series of curved, concentric lines reflecting elevation or relief of a surface

essentially, a very long ruler that is held vertically and read by an optical surveying instrument to determine distance above the ground

a ratio representing the size of an illustration, map, or reproduction in a publication

an optical surveying instrument used for making contour maps

a modern surveying instrument using an infrared laser and computer to calculate distance and three-dimensional angles to determine the precise location of a target in terms of grid coordinates and elevation. Replaces levels, alidades, transits, and theolodites

a computer program(s) for the storage, display, and analysis of geographic and spatial data. The basic concept involves the use of overlaid maps of an area in combination with locational information and spatial analytical capabilities

A locational and navigational system for determining precise three-dimensional coordinates (longitude, latitude, and elevation) of any place on the earth's surface. Satellites broadcast locational information used by GPS equipment to determine the exact position. Replaces traditional, manual land-survey methods

paired linear earthworks that mark an avenue or long, rectangular area in Neolithic Europe

a tool for drilling holes, used in archaeology for coring into soil and taking samples

a variety of techniques used for obtaining information about surface or buried objects. Aboveground techniques normally involve aircraft or satellites using photography, radar, and other methods to locate and map features on or near the surface. Below ground techniques use radar, resistivity, magnetic properties, or chemistry to search for buried features

a satellite instrument that records multiple wavelengths of light reflected from the earth's surface

An instrument that beams energy waves to the ground surface and records the reflected energy

instruments that emit an electromagnetic field, which is disrupted by the presence of metal objects in the ground, used for finding buried metal objects

Measures the earth's magnetic field at an archaeological site to locate buried walls and pits

used to measure electrical conductivity in soils, which may be due to the presence of buried disturbances such as fireplaces, burials, or other structures

an instrument that sends radar waves through the ground to reveal buried features

a dry lake bed, common geomorphological feature in the western united states

the pattern of subsistence and settlement found among hunter-gatherers who change residence regularly during the course of a year

limitations on human activity imposed by the environment. For example, arid conditions are an ecological constraint on agriculture

a generic term for the region of focus of a research project

a portion of the whole (n)

to take a part of a deposit, site, feature, or artifact for analysis (v)

The term sampling describes the process of taking a sample. This can be a one-time event, a series of actions, or a statistical process. Statistical sampling is a specific method for taking samples that allows probability estimates to be made about the population that is being sampled. Archaeologists almost always take samples, but only rarely is this done in a statistical fashion

a subsistence and settlement pattern observed among some groups of hunter-gatherers who live in two places at different seasons during the course of a year

the records of a field project of survey or excavations with descriptions of activities, finds, records of samples, drawings, photographs, and the like. An important document of the research project

the walls of trenches and squares in excavations that show a cross section of the deposits and reveal the sequence and methods of formation

the hole or depression left when a post is removed from the ground, an indication of construction posts

burial of all or part of a corpse; contrast with cremation

a funeral practice involving immolation of the corpse. Cremation burials usually consist of ash and a few fragments of bone and teeth and are often found in urns and small pits. Also, the incinerated remains of human body. Contrast with inhumation

sifting or sieving of sediments through fine screens to separate them from artifacts and ecofacts

an archaeological technique for recovering charred plant remains using water and density differences between heavy and light materials in sediments. Dry sediments are stirred into water, and the lighter plant remains float to the top

a point with known locational coordinates and elevation; a fixed point for surveying

normally a 1-m² frame of wood or aluminum fitted with a grid of string or wire at 20-cm intervals. It is used for drawing detailed plans of vertical sections or horizontal floors in archaeological excavations

a schematic map of topography, the three-dimensional surface of the earth or other features. Contours are conventionally shown as a series of curved, concentric lines reflecting elevation or relief of a surface

essentially, a very long ruler that is held vertically and read by an optical surveying instrument to determine distance above the ground

a ratio representing the size of an illustration, map, or reproduction in a publication

an optical surveying instrument used for making contour maps

a modern surveying instrument using an infrared laser and computer to calculate distance and three-dimensional angles to determine the precise location of a target tin terms of grid coordinates and elevation. Replaces levels, alidades, transits, and theolodites

a computer programs(s) for the storage, display, and analysis of geographic and spatial data. The basic concept involves the use of overlaid maps of an area in combination with locational information and spatial analytical capabilities

a locational and navigational system for determining precise three-dimensional coordinates (longitude, latitude, and elevation) of any place on the earth's surface. Satellites broadcast locational information used by GPS equipment to determine the exact position. Replaces traditional manual land-survey methods

paired linear earthworks that mark an avenue oor long, rectangular area in Neolithic Europe

a tool for drilling holes, used in archaeology for coring into soil and taking samples.

a variety of techniques used for obtaining information about surface or buried objects. Aboveground techniques normally involve aircraft or satellites using photgraphy, radar, and other methods to locate and map features on or near the surface. Belowground techniques use radar, resistivity, magnetic properties, or chemistry to search for buried features

a satellite instrument that records multiple wavelengths of light reflected from the earth's surface

an instrument that beams energy waves to the ground surface and records the reflected energy

instruments that emit an electromagnetic field, which is disrupted by the presence of metal objects in the ground, used for finding buried metal objects

measures the earth's magnetic field at an archaeological site to locate buried walls and pits

used to measure electrical conductivity in soils, which may be due to the presence of buried disturbances such as fireplaces, burials, or other structures

an instrument that sends radar waves through the ground to reveal buried features

archaeological research concerned with geology and the earth sciences

the branch of geology concerned with the study of the shape of the land; involves classification, description, origin, and change of land forms

geological principle that the processes of erosion and deposition observed in action today also operated in the past

a raised bank created by repeated flooding

a stranded river meander left as a lake in a floodplain

a low ridge of sand and gravel that forms underwater along the inner bank of a meandering stream

any particulate matter (clay, sand silt, mud, leaves, shell, and other materials) that can be transported by water. Opposite of rock

surface sediments weather in situ

chemical and biological processes that break down and change the surface of the earth, altering its color, texture, or composition

layer or assemblage associated with geological strata or archaeological contents, e.g., usage incluudes a soil horizon, a cultural horizon; the geographic extent of similar artifacts and design in space

soil scientists

geological forces that move and deform the earth's crust

a sequence of layers in the ground

principle that governs the interpretation of stratigraphy - in a sequence of the oldest layers are on the bottom and the youngest layers are on the top

any substantial accumulation of garbage or waste at a locus of human activity; archaeological deposits of trash and/or shellls that accumulate in heaps and mounds. As shell midden is a specific type of midden composed largely of mollusk shells

geomorphological term for erosion of sediments, also human digging

geomorphological term for deposition of sediments, also human filling

containing no archaeological materials

the upper part of soil layers that has been disturbed by plowing

a bird's-eye or top-down view of a site or region. A kind of map of the features and characteristics of a place. A standard representation of archaeological sites and areas

a cross-section of archaeological or geological deposits showing the stratigraphy, sequence of layers, also, the cross-section of the walls of a ceramic vessel, a measure of shape

the study of anthropogenic sediments at a microscopic level

created or produced by human activity, e.g. anthropogenic soils are a result of human activity

the minceral and organic contents in the petrographic thing section

the size and sorting of sediments, for example, in a petrographic thin section

the geometric relationship of the consituents in a petrographic thin section

a method for depicting intricate archaeological stratigraphy in a schematic way

the term used in the Harris Matrix for surfaces at a site that were places of activity before they were buried - for example, the surface of a pit

a specialized version of a binocular microscope designed for the study of thin sections of rock or pottery

the layer or stratum that accumulates during an episode of human habitation and activity

the actual places where people lived and carried out their activities

the continuity of similar artifcats and design through time

layer or assemblage associated with geological strata or archaeological contents - usage includes a soil horizon, a cultural horizon; the geographic extent of similar artifacts and design in space

a particular period in time and space where an assemblage occurs

sites on land and uncovered, in contrast to sites in caves or rockshelters

a shallow cave or overhang, defined by having a width greater than its depth

sites visible on the surface of the ground

the areas between archaeological sites where there are occasional traces of human activity in the form of isolated artifacts, features, or other evidence

places of habitation where people live and carry out the everyday activities that sustain life

a short-term, temporary settlement, usually associated with hunter-gatherers or nomads

a small village with just a handful of houses and a small number of inhabiants

a small residential unit of permanent houses iwht a population of less than a few hundred

larger with a village with internal differentiation in size and location of structure and usually containing one or more public buildings

an urban agglomeration with a population of 10,000 or more, internal differentiation, and distict civic or ceremonial areas within its boundaries

nonresidential localities where some members of the society obtain food or other resources

a specialized kind of extractive site, a mound made up of large dumps of shell from mussels, oysters, or other species

decoration of rock surface by painting, pecking, or engraving

rock art made by the applicaiton of pigment to rock surfaces

rock art made by removing the outer surface of a rock by carving or hammering

a humanly modified or perceived area

a built pile or heap of earth or stones, resembling a very small hill, usually a burial monument

a stone monument, caved and/or painted with designs and/or inscriptions, common in the Maya region

an accumulated mound of occupation debris; man-made settlement mounds of earth and trash that accumulate from the decomposition of mudbrick, common in Southwest Asia and Southeast Europe

a concept from geography whereby interaction among settlements is based on size, similar to interaction among planets based on gravity. Bigger communities have made more interaction and influence on smaller communities

the processes involved in the creation of archaeological sites

the actual use of artifacts and features in the past or present

the buried or surface context in which archaeological remains are found; what survives to the present

modification of the archaeoloigcal record caused by human activity

modification of the archaeological record by geological, hydrological, or chemical activity.

gradual movement of sediments from higher to lower ground as a natural process of erosion and deposition

the study of what happens to a plant or animal between its death and the time it is found as a fossil or archaeological remain

disturbance of the archaeological record from plant and animal activities such as root growth or animal digging

the preservation and documentation of artifacts

ecofacts

features and their context at the archaeological site

organic remains modified by humans

form

function

technology

overall

slip

function

can infer when not complete

residue

context

chromotography

cooking, serving, storing, ritual

trade connections

source

manufacture techniques

temper added

firing temp

can alos make inferences about what you can't see

built around 3200 bc

above enterance there is an opening - light comes through

• 1. define a relevent problem
• 2. establish 1 or more hypothesis - questions with a possible answer - a proposed statement as an explanation
• 3. Determine the empirical implications
• 4. collect appropriate data
• 5. test by comparing data
• 6. reject, revise and/or retest as necessary

can't do it alone

bridging the gap between info we recover and the questions we seek to ask

It's an argument by ennumeration or an accumulation of evidence, rather than by experiements

natural or man made

did not think it was native americans

Squier and davis map and record - 1848 - "half civilized nation of Mexico

Did not text these mounds

1879 - Powell - test mounds

1894 - Thomas - Native Americans, but after Europeans arrived - survey and excavation

working from specific observations to a more general hypothesis

reasoning from theory to account for specific observational or experimental results

If...then

constantly modifying

link observations to people themselves and their life

can be reporduced

observed, sometimes cannot be tested, but still science

observe without prejudging or falsifying with preconcieved view of the world

• 1. No single right way to do science
• 2. a scientifica approach cannot guarantee truth
• 3. finding knowldege - most probable explanation give avalible data - changing

• 1. science is empierical and objective
• 2. Science is systematic and explicity
• 3. is logical
• 4. is explanatory and consequently predictive
• 5. is self-critical and based on testing
• 6. is public

a doctrine attitude or way of live that focuses on human interest and values

tends to reject a search for universals and stress the importance of individual

so many definitions

way we live and see the world

transmitted by learning

group of artifacts found in group at several sites

people behaved similarly

research design - formulation

implementation

data gathering - aquisition

proccessing and analysis

interpreting

publication

define data set background research

formulate hypothosis

fundraising, team recrutment, permission

field work

cleaning, classification, lab

interpretive synthesis

final report

litterature, records, previous reports

SHPO

ask local archaeologist

data bases in state museums

CRM

talking to the locals

looking at maps

state historic preservation office

Ellen Berkland

Cultural resource Managment

• geological
• soil
• topo
• vegetation cover

found in different ways and there is no single formula

luck and hard work are major keys

hardwork - research

• 1) surveys
• 2) excavation

remote sensing

subsurface detection

ground survey

aerial photographs

GPR

walking

handheld GPS

total sation - provenience

3-D recording

to access the context

photographic and geophysical technique

aerial survey

satellite images

SAR

• 1)geophysical
• 2) geochemical prospecting
• 3) site scale probe

magnemotry

resistivity

GPR

analysis of Phosphorus/Nitrogen

measure the strength of magnetism between the earth's core and sensor controled by archaeology

picks up magnetic anomalies

• 1) thermoremanet
• 2) induced magnetism

• 1) thermormeant magnetism
• 2) induced magnetism

• eg kilns and hearths
• foundations, walls made by bricks or magnetic rocks

• eg. filled archaeological pits
• grooves and ditches

monitors the electrical resistance of soils near the surface of an archaeolgical site

detects buried walls or features by change sin the amount of restance registered by the resistivity meter

along the grid

or transects

radar pulses

showing the presence and depth of possible burried features

very useful if right conditions

hooked up to GPS

• -78 ha - large site
• -excavations - 1 %
• -survey
• -63 ha of magnometer
• -15 ha electro resistance
• -5 ha GPR
• -result: the most extensive plan of a Roman-British civitas

• -digital maps
• -tabular information
• -aerial photography
• -other types of digital data
• -all connected into a database - allows to analyze as a whole

see stuff you can't from the surface

3-D model

perform excavation to test

instead of excavation

spectral imagry - satellite

radar (satellite and airborn) - new ones - day/night

geophysics - magnetrometry, conductivinty, resistivity, GPR

GIS

low to ground

taken constently, easy access

inexpensive

see crop marks - are buried features - different color, taller, shorter

move city based on river course changing

mouvement of rivers can be detected

use of infrared - see what you can't see with naked eye

images are not natural colors

see creations of aluvial fan - sites not on, but around research area

shape of landscape

elevation lines

come with coordinates from each pixel

for unmapped places

sometimes just mapped from satalite images

landscape

good if unfammilar with area

lay maps over

pattern discovery

see how relate to landscape and each other - see map or cosmos, can do by hand, but it takes less time

mark location with extreem acuracy

to discover sites and not get lost

make point if find something

which ones are similar

different as related to other sites

moniter the well being of an area - CRM - very important

others work in the light spectrum

energy imitated by the satellite itself

2 antenas - 2 points at once

3-D map of ground - interfermetric radar mapping

tons of detail

can zooom in and discover site

3 cm wave length

85 cm wavelength

can penetrate foliage down to bedrock

like a lasar ointer - shot to ground

exactly elevation

13 km as the airplane flies - criss cross patter, remove shadow effect - perfect

6000 km² in one day

large sections of the earth at small resolution

imaged the entire globe

radar 3-D maps

can go online and download for free

pixel 90m in width

USA avalible at 30m - declassified - great for environmental, backdrop for archaeological maps

integrate

magnetemetry - burnt clay, lbricks

EM 38 - send electric puls into ground - recieves signal, how ong for signal to reach, detect stone alignment

magnetic susceptiability - magnetic sensitivity - less likely to be overwhelmened - earth packed so much it changes

buried in ash

completley buried

GPR - stratigraphy of layers - more versatile

computing to get confirmation of patterns

can quantify

elite and regular intervals

• -noninvasive
• -relatively nondestructive
• -can discover some subsurface features
• -regional patterns
• -setting limits of sites
• -allow target excavations
• -cheeper and faster

• -difficult to discern patterns
• -not to discern layers of multi-layer sites (history of occupation)
• -can be misleading or wrong
• -the only way to check ground truthing

• 1. geophyical - magnemetry, resistivity detection, GPR
• 2. Geochemical Prospecting - analysis of phospherous, nitrogen, calcium
• 3. site scale probing - augering, coring

• -collect soil samples and analyze
• -P, N, Ca, C
• -Higher concentrations indicative of humans (P) and animal occupation (N)
• -using modern comparative samples and ethnographic analogy

move from side to side

core probing

shovel test

• -munsell chart
• -pointy stick - turn around
• -interval
• -at different levels
• -description of sediment and layer

used by CRM

• 1. visibilty
• 2. obtrussivness

places where artifacts, ecofacts and features are found in a cluster (concentration)

function or activity

length of occupation

cultural affiliation

location in landscape

camp site of hunter-gatherers, but also stone henge

hunter-gatherers, quarry, religous site

tell or seasonal

mississippian, vinca

river valley or cave

artifacts inn a general area reflect the people in a group and intereraction

material remains - artifacts

features and ecofacts

behavioral normas for people of the culture

• or varients of one culture
• can emphasize the difference

function or activity - hunters-gatherers, quarry, religious

length of occupation

culture

can't excavate twice

• 1. those that are endangered
• 2. well preserved contain new infromation important for construding past human excavation

the main way of collectin archaeolical data in sites

• a) main aims is to assess context
• b) assess functional an temperal significance

• provience 3-D
• association
• matrix

for reconstructing past human behavior

substrate around artifact

exact 3-D location of any archaeological object in space

information, what is found near the object

info about provience, matrix, and assocaiton together resulting from behavioral and transformational processes

intact postion since its origional deposition

situation has been altered by postdepositional process

• a) total coverage
• b) partial coevage

sampling

arbitrary

non-arbitrary

choose how many

no human bias

take different parts

how many in each area

set every other square or such

not in same place of every square

• in layers
• arbitrary layers

• about shovel depth
• as soon as get to soil change - go with natural layers

• SHPO's adoption
• unique inventory control system of sites

methods - penetrating, clearing

always provience control

site datum - to record

shovel test

test pit

trench

30 cm

CRM, exploritory

(1 x 1 m)

most basic, general idea of stratigraphy

(1 x 2 m)

horizontal extent of features, large excavations

exposen large areas - slower, but more careful

leaving bulks for stratigraphy

strip off areas reveal plan of buildings

decapage or pealing back units

peeling back units

the application of geological principles and techniques to the solution of archaeological problems

>10² km²

~ 10 to 10² km²

~ cm

where activities are more intense

archaeometry

• roman terracing
• reconstructing bay around troy

• depositional process
• post depositional process

anthropogenic

syndepositional geogenic

anthropogenic

geogenic

identification of the components

origin of the components

transport processes

deposition processes

remote sensing

geophysics

oceanogrpahy and climatology

glaciology

sedimentology

soil science

geomorphology

minerology, geochemistry, and petrology

air photos

maps - geoogy, soils, vegitation, topo

magnetometry

electric resistivity

GPR

marine isotope record

climates

glaciation

glacier

soil formation and physical, chemcial, and biological modification

phical landscape formation

mineral - provience, activities, conservation

the same natural laws and processes that opperate in the universe now, have always operated in the universein the past are at work now

solid transformation - plagioclase

temp

course or fine grained

phaneritic

aphanitic

cooled slowly

intrusive

cooled quick

extrusive

mineral fine or course grained

• glass
• fragments of various size

lake, alluvial fan, shelf, marine environment - can tell where formed

close to shore - sandstone

• calcium carbonate - cocolithophores
• silica - diatoms
• die and reach the floor

silica

carbonate

siliciclastic - grain size, conglomerate, breccia

chemical vs biochemical

carbonate rock

high tmep - high pressure

contact

burial

fault

• sediments
• those materials deposited at the earth's surface under low temp and pressure
• river delta
• flood plains
• glacial environment
• alluvial fans
• aelian environment
• shoreline environment

• grading
• graded bedding
• crossbedding
• ripple marks
• mudcrack

size and organizaiton

normal inverse ungraded

big on bottom, small on tope

small on top, big on bottom

all around high energy

• sand dunes - wind - sand
• water current - indication of water

near the shore

clay, drey and wet, swelling

pedality = soil development - single seperate agragests when well devleoped

• field properties
• lab analysis - texture, mineraology, pH, OM

red

similar to color underneath

• color
• structure
• boundries
• consistance
• stickyness
• plasticity

• particle size
• pH
• minerology

• indication of soil type and condition
• indication of certain chemical and physical makeup

• smooth
• wavy
• irregular broken

any bone would be dissolved

beneath hearthland and forrest, acid

between mor and mull, richer soil

acid, freely drained soils

• living sites are here
• need to understand the probability of finding some sites

those materials deposited at the earths surface

2 mm - .05 mm

.05 -.002 mm

<.002 mm

indicator of enviornment

low energy - stil water lake

• percentage of sand/silt/clay
• not so important unless indicator like paleosoil

• well - same range size - long time and specifica
• unsorted - many ranges of size - rapid, high energy

how round

particle surrface

how close to sphere

flat land adjacent to a stream or river that experiences occasional flooding

anything deposited by water - non-marine, not underwater

comes down from slope - gravity

• fan shaped area built up by alluvial deposits
• usually @ foot of steep slope as it opens onto a valley floor or plain

• terraces around a river
• really recent- human remains

• cutbank
• pointbar

steep and erroded

low and deposits - lateral accretion

• flood cut off along neck
• stranded meander

chemical and mechanical

• leech
• move downward