Ch. 2 -- Probing The Past Flashcards
(65 cards)
Hypothesis
A proposed explanation for some phenomenon
Must be tested
Sites
Places where physical evidence of a past human presence can be recovered
Artifacts
Objects made and used by past peoples
Ecofacts
Environmental elements that exhibit traces of human use or activity
Taphonomy
The study of how paleoanthropological or archaeological remains ended up in a particular place
Features
Combination of artifacts and/or ecofacts at a site, reflecting a location where some human activity took place
Nonportable, complex artifacts
Activity areas
A place where an activity or group of activities were carried out in the past
Transformed into an archaeological feature by the loss or discard of material items used in the activity that was carried out there
Primary refuse
Archaeological artifacts and ecofacts left at the place they were used or produced
Secondary refuse
Archaeological artifacts and ecofacts that were removed by the people who made, used, or produced them from the place where they were made, used, or produced, to a designated refuse area or areas
Ejecta
All the material thrown out of a volcano during an eruption
Pumice
A light and porous volcanic rock
Forms when a glassy molten froth cools and solidifies quickly
Pyroclastic
A swiftly flowing mass of ash, molten rock, and gas spewing from an erupting volcano
A “burning avalanche”
Pedestrian survey
A systematic walkover of an area in the search for archaeological remains
Useful in search for sites especially in areas where ancient people built structures with durable materials, where natural processes didn’t cover up materials on the ground, or where natural or cultural processes have exposed buried layers on the surface
Test pits
A hole or boring into soil in the search for archaeological evidence
In some places is a primary method by which archaeological sites are searched for and by which the spatial distribution of buried materials at a site is first identified
Associations
Term relating to the spatial relationships among archaeological artifacts, ecofacts, and features
Objects found in proximity to each other are said to be in association
Ground-penetrating radar (GPR)
A noninvasive technique to investigate the subsurface
An electromagnetic pulse is passed through the soil. The pulse encounters objects or differently compacted soil layers and bounces back to a receiver. The signal can be interpreted and imaged, revealing buried walls, earthworks, or other cultural features
Proton magnetometer
A noninvasive technique to investigate the subsurface
Measures the strength of the earth’s magnetic field from the surface and detects anomalies or small variations that may result from the presence of buried walls or soil disturbances
Paradigms
An overarching perspective, a broad view that underlies a specific discipline
Trace element analysis
Determining the geographic source of the materials used by an ancient people through the analysis of small or “trace” concentrations of elements or chemicals in those raw materials
Neutron activation analysis
Form of trace element analysis
X-Ray fluorescence
A technique for identifying the chemical makeup of a raw material
Each chemical element in the raw material of an artifact gives off a unique set of energies when bombarded with X-Rays.
Experimental replication
The process of attempting to authentically re-create ancient artifacts
Morphology
The study of form/appearance
An analysis of the shape and form of skeletons or artifacts
Wear patterns
Characteristic and diagnostic traces of damage or polish left on stone tools as a result of their use
