Chapter 1: Principles of Archaeology

Question 1

Prehistory

Answer 1

The human past, specifically before the appearance of written records

Question 2

Archaeology

Answer 2

The study of the human past, monitoring the relationship between time and change

Question 3

Era

Answer 3

A major division of geological time, usually distinguished by significant changes in the plant and animal kingdoms

Question 4

Epoch

Answer 4

A subdivision of geological time, representing units of eras

Question 5

Culture

Answer 5

A uniquely human means of nonbiological adaptation; a repertoire of learned behaviors for coping with the physical and social environments

Question 6

Evolution

Answer 6

The process of change over time resulting from shifting conditions of the physical and cultural environments, involving mechanisms of mutation and natural selection

Question 7

Biological Anthropology

Answer 7

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

Question 8

Cultural Anthropology

Answer 8

The study of living peoples and the shared aspects of the human experience

Question 9

Anthropological Archaeology

Answer 9

Archaeological investigations that seek to answer fundamental questions about humans and human behavior

Question 10

Historical Archaeology

Answer 10

Archaeology in combination with the written record

Question 11

Artifact

Answer 11

Any object or item created or modified by human action

Question 12

Site

Answer 12

The accumulation of artifacts and/or ecofacts, representing a place where people lived or carried out certain activities

Question 13

Fieldwork

Answer 13

The search for archaeological sites in the landscape through surveys and excavations

Question 14

Survey

Answer 14

A systematic search of the landscape for artifacts and sites on the ground through aerial photography, field walking, soil analysis, and geophysical prospecting

Question 15

Excavation

Answer 15

The exposure and recording of buried materials from the past

Question 16

Ground-Penetrating Radar

Answer 16

An instrument for remote sensing or prospecting for buried structures using radar maps of subsoil features

Question 17

Bioturbation

Answer 17

Activities of plants and animals in the earth, causing disturbance of archaeological materials

Question 18

Total Station

Answer 18

A computerized surveying and mapping instrument that uses a laser beam or radio waves to measure the distance and angle between the instrument and the target and then calculates the exact position of the target

Question 19

Archaeological Record

Answer 19

The body of material and information that survives for archaeologists to study

Question 20

Context

Answer 20

The association and relationships between archaeological objects that are in the same place

Question 21

Primary context

Answer 21

An object found where it was originally located in antiquity, not redeposited

Question 22

Provenience

Answer 22

The place of origin for archaeological materials, including location, association, and context

Question 23

Shell Midden

Answer 23

A mound of shells accumulated from human collection, consumption, and disposal; a dump of shells from oysters, clams, mussels, or other species found along coasts and rivers, usually dating to the Holocene

Question 24

Ecofact

Answer 24

Any of the remains of plants, animals, sediments, or other unmodified materials that result from human activity

Question 25

Feature

Answer 25

An immovable structure or layer, pit, or post in the ground having archaeological significance.

Question 26

Ethnography

Answer 26

The study of human cultures through firsthand observation

Question 27

Technology

Answer 27

The combination of knowledge and manufacturing techniques that enables people to convert raw materials into finished products

Question 28

Economy

Answer 28

The management and organization of the affairs of a group, community, or establishment to ensure their survival and productivity

Question 29

Organization

Answer 29

The arrangements between individuals and groups in human society that structure relationships and activities

Question 30

Egalitarian

Answer 30

A term that refers to societies lacking clearly defined status differences between individuals, except for those due to sex, age, or skill

Question 31

Rank

Answer 31

A relationship of inequality between members of society in which status is determined by kinship relations of birth order and lineage

Question 32

Class

Answer 32

A relationship between members in which status is determined by membership in a level or class

Question 33

Craft Specialists

Answer 33

Individuals involved in part- or full-time activities devoted to the production of a specific class of goods, often highly valued

Question 34

Hierarchical

Answer 34

A term referring to societies that have a graded order of inequality in ranks, statuses, or decision makers

Question 35

Ideology

Answer 35

A conceptual framework by which people structure their ideas about the order of the universe, their place in that universe, and their relationships among themselves and with objects and other forms of life around them

Question 36

Cosmology

Answer 36

The worldview of a group or society, encompassing their understanding of the universe, their origins and existence, and nature

Question 37

Pictograph

Answer 37

A written or painted symbol that more or less portrays the represented object

Question 38

Petroglyph

Answer 38

A drawing that has been carved into rock

Question 39

Shaman

Answer 39

An anthropological term for a spiritualist, curer, or seer

Question 40

Sodality

Answer 40

An alliance or association among some members or a society, often based on age and sex, with a specific function