Archaeology Flashcards
What is Archaeology?
Archaeology is a method of studying the history of humans though objects left behind by humans of that time.
What skills do you need as a historian?
Asking questions about the past, knowing a bit about the past, skills to evaluate, analyse and interpret evidence from the source, draw conclusions based on what you could find from the source and talking to other people about what you find collected from the site.
What type of written sources can you find from the Ancient World?
You can find Plays, Poetry, Legends, Letters, Memoirs, Medical Texts, Speeches, Tribute Lists, Laws, Military Reports, Marriage Doucuments, Pottery and Incriptions.
If we are to research a written source that was published in Ancient times, we need to ask questions of that source such as?
Who had wrote it?
When was it written?
Why was it hidden?
Who would have read it?
Could these events be found in other sources?
Can you find contradictions in the source?
What kind of sources would the author use?
What type of sources would be available to the author?
Are the conclusions/judgements sound?
What are the questions you should be asking to determine any bias you find in the source?
Can you detect emotive words or phrases being used?
What kind of impression did the source give you?
Were the facts omitted?
Were the facts selected based on balance?
Is there any reason for the writer to be one-sided
What do you think the source of the descriptions may be?
Is the writer trying to win over the audience to his point of view?
What’s the role of Archaeologists?
The role of the Archaeologists is to find material and physical remains of the past and study it.
How does Archaeological sites often gets discovered?
Most Archaeological sites are discovered by ordinary people on accident.
What is the first step of an Archaeological site?
A site is reported by a civilian when the person accidently discovers some ancient remains.
What’s the next step of the progress of an Archaeological evacuation?
Archaeologists get called up to dig the site to excavate the remains.
After that, what would happen next in an Archaeological excavation?
Archaeologists would then record the remains to study the remains.
What would Archaeologists do next on an Archaeological evacuation?
After Archaeologists got settles into the site, the people there examine and investigate the finds they find.
After that, is there anything afterwards for the Archaeologists to do?
When the Archaeologists are finished excavating the site, they send their finds to Labs and Muesiems for analysis and
interpretion.
What’s the last step of the process of an Archaeological excavation?
After the historians are done examining the finds and if confirmed legit,the finds would get published.
What are the many types of incidents that’s the cause of the discovery of many artefacts?
Ploughing Land Reclaimation Digging of Buildings Quarrying and Dredging Construction of Roads, Railways, Sewers, Dams and Canals Fishing and Underwater Diving
What are the different categories of Aerial Survey?
Crop Marks Soil Marks Satellite Photography Surveying Techiques Geophysical Survey Ground Penetrating Rader Resistivity Surveying Magnetic Surveying
What are Crop Marks?
They are crops that grow on ancient soil faster then other crops that grow on modern soil.
What are Soil Marks?
Soil Marks are a small part of soil in the field, when ploughed, gets more darker then the rest of the ploughed field.
What is Satellite Photography?
Satellite Photography is a method to discover artefacts by scanning photographs from Space.
What are Surveying Techniques?
When a team of Archaeologists officially confirmed an Archaeological site, they would use simple observation to checking out the site and seeing if there is any special features that stick out.
What does Geophysical Survey refers to?
What Geophysical refers to is how physics interacts with the Earth and its environment.
It’s reverence to Archaeology is depicting a image of the physical features beneath the surface.
What is the purpose of the Ground Penetrating Radar? (GPR)
The purpose is to send down an electronic pulse straight into the ground to get a picture from buried objects and changes in the composition of the soil.
What’s the purpose of Resistivity Surveying?
The purpose of Resistivity Surveying is to measure the soil’s resistance to the electric current between two metal probes in the ground.
What is the purpose of Magnetic Surveying?
The purpose of Magnetic Surveying is to draw out the magnetic properties of subsurface materials by using a proton magnetometer.
What’s the highest readings that is recorded on a Proton Magnetometer?
The highest readings are from iron, brink, burned soil and rock
What’s the lowest readings that is recorded on a Proton Magnetometer?
The lowest recorded results are from disturbed soil and decayed organic material.
Why do Archaeologists evaluate sites?
They evaluate sites because they seek to know more about how ordinary people had lived in the past.
Who is involved in an excavation?
The people who are involved in an excavation are the Director, specialists who specialise in certain tasks that are beneficial to the excavation and workers that are hired to clear away the debris and rocks away from the site.
How do Archaeologists determine the best spot for an excavation ?
Before they begin an excavation, Archaeologists would dig trial trenches throughout the site to see what’s the most likely site for artifacts to be hidden.
What do Archaeologists use the Grid System for?
The Grid System is used for understanding the vertical dimensions of the site by showing what’s beneath the ground represented by the time period.
