Chapter 1-2 Flashcards
What is context
The association and relationships between archaeological objects that are in the same place
What is Culture?
A uniquely human means of non-biological adaptation based on learning and shared behaviors for coping with the environment
What is provenience?
The place of origin for archaeological materials, including locations in three dimensions and association with other objects
What is relative date?
Earlier and later than something else
What is absolute date?
A time measurement in specific units like years
What is an artifact?
Any portable object or item created or modified by human action
What is an eco fact ?
Any of the remains of plants, animals, sediments or other unmodified materials that results from human activity
What is a feature?
An immovable structure, layer, pit, or post in the ground having archaeological significance
What is a feature?
An immovable structure, layer, pit, or post in the ground having archaeological significance
What is a site?
The accumulation of artifacts, eco facts, and features that represent a place where people lived and/ or carried out certain activities
What is archaeology?
The study of the past through the systematic recovery and analysis of material remains
Archaeology is divided into two categories:
1. What is cultural archaeology?
It one of the most familiar to the general public. It is the study of vanished civilizations, and to reconstruct extinct societies
Archaeology is divided into two categories:
2. What is field archaeology?
It is about artifact acquisition and analysis.
Is archaeology a branch of anthropology ? True of false?
True, archaeology is a part of anthropology
What is anthropology?
the study of all aspects of humankind- biological, cultural, and linguistic; extant and extinct- employing an all encompassing holistic approach
What are the limitations of history?
- Focuses of literate cultures
- Bias toward the culture of the authors, winner of conflicts, to important people and events and perspectives that fit a culture mythical narrative
- Suffers from the accuracy of pre-modern records that blend history with myth and literature
What are the limitations of archaeology? Not history
- Archaeological records are dominated by material that survive, often bias towards cultures whose environmental preserved things
- Artifacts reflect everyday life, not the exceptional
- Absence of detailed specific information, leave archaeologist to infer most of their conclusions
How did archaeology began?
Treasure hunting
Until the 19th century for scholarly interest
Who were the fathers of archaeology
Giuseppi Fiorelli and Pitt Rivers
How do archaeologist succeed ?
They need to remember that while collecting and analyzing artifacts, their goal is to understand the people and the culture that created them
What is a speculation?
A reasonable guess
What is an educated guess?
Experience based speculation
What is a hypothesis?
A reasonable and testable explanation of what has been observed
What is a law?
Mathematical expression of a theory
What is truth?
A philosophical concept not in the realm of science, unquestioned acceptance
What is observation?
Something seen
What is an opinion
Belief offered without evidence