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Buried Cities and Lost Tribes > Exam 1 > Flashcards

Exam 1 Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the definition of archaeology?

A

Archaeology is the study of past human life and culture through material remains.

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2
Q

What do archaeologists study?

A

Archaeologists study material culture, not dinosaurs.

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3
Q

What is the primary focus of paleontology?

A

Paleontology is the study of past life using the fossil record.

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4
Q

When does the domain of archaeology begin?

A

The domain of archaeology begins around 3.3 million years ago.

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5
Q

How does archaeology differ from history?

A

History studies the past using written records, beginning 5,400 years ago while archaeology focuses more on material culture

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6
Q

How can archaeology and history complement each other?

A

They can fill gaps in each other’s records, especially regarding underrepresented groups.

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7
Q

What are the goals of archaeology?

A

The goals of archaeology include understanding history and science.

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8
Q

What types of questions do archaeologists typically ask?

A

Archaeologists ask ‘What?’, ‘When?’, and ‘Where?’ questions.

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9
Q

What scientific questions do archaeologists explore?

A

Archaeologists explore ‘Why?’ questions.

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10
Q

What was James Usher’s estimate of the Earth’s age?

A

James Usher estimated the Earth was about 6,000 years old.

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11
Q

What is catastrophism?

A

Catastrophism is the belief that changes in the Earth’s fauna and flora are caused by series of creation events and catastrophes.

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12
Q

What is uniformitarianism?

A

Uniformitarianism posits that the laws of nature are constant over time and space.

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13
Q

How does uniformitarianism explain geological features?

A

It explains them as the result of gradual processes, like erosion.

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14
Q

What did Charles Lyell estimate about the age of the Earth?

A

Lyell estimated the Earth to be at least 300 million years old.

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15
Q

What significant archaeological finding did Jacques Boucher de Crevecoeur de Perthes make?

A

He found stone tools associated with bones of extinct animals, indicating a deep history of humankind.

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16
Q

Why is establishing the antiquity of humankind important for archaeology?

A

It shows that there is a significant amount of time for human societies to change, making the study worthwhile.

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17
Q

Fill in the blank: The study of past human life and culture through material remains is called _______.

A

[archaeology]

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18
Q

True or False: Archaeology and history are completely separate fields with no overlap.

A

False

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19
Q

How can archaeology complement the work of historians?

A

By reducing the biases in history which did not represent minorities well

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20
Q

What are some examples of material culture?

A

anything man-made using raw resources (buildings, fires, stone tools, dams)

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21
Q

What is an example of how the archaeological record can reflect the past?

A

Pompeii is an example because the volcanic eruption damaged the city but also preserved it and the shape of the bodies, preserved has hollows in hardened layers of ash

The eruption damaged the city but preserved it incredibly well, including the shape of bodies in hollows of hardened ash.

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22
Q

Why is Pompeii considered unusual in archaeological contexts?

A

It provides a direct reflection of the past, unlike most archaeological records which has been distorted by formation processes

In most contexts, the record is distorted by formation processes.

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23
Q

What are formation processes in archaeology?

A

Processes that affect how material remnants of past behavior enter the archaeological record

These processes include depositional, cultural disturbance, natural disturbance, and preservation processes.

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24
Q

What is primary context?

A

When material remains are deposited together reflecting the spatial arrangement of activity

Examples include waste debris from flintknapping and undisturbed burials.

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25
What is secondary context?
Material remains discarded in a different location than where they were used ## Footnote This can create false associations between objects.
26
True or False: Secondary contexts are not informative.
False ## Footnote Secondary contexts can still provide valuable information, but should not be mistaken for primary contexts.
27
What are cultural disturbance processes?
Human activities that transform the archaeological record (Examples are construction, looting, destruction of historic relic for religious/ideological reasons ## Footnote Examples include construction, looting, and destruction for religious reasons.
28
What are natural disturbance processes?
Natural forces that disturb archaeological remains (Examples include hyenas, earthworms, burrowing rodents) ## Footnote Examples include actions from hyenas, earthworms, and burrowing rodents.
29
What do preservation processes affect?
The survival of remains (Examples are Pompeii and chemistry of soil affecting the bone preservation) ## Footnote Examples include volcanic explosions and soil chemistry affecting bone preservation.
30
How can formation processes lead to misinterpretation in archaeology?
They can create spurious associations or modify the archaeological record ## Footnote An example includes cave paintings that may not represent the full context of Ice Age people's art.
31
What is an artifact?
Cultural, movable objects ## Footnote Artifacts are portable and can be removed from sites.
32
What are ecofacts?
Plants or animal remains that provide information about human behavior, diet, and environment, not manufactured by humans ## Footnote Ecofacts are not manufactured or modified by humans.
33
What is a feature in archaeology?
Non-portable objects modified by humans ## Footnote Examples include post holes and hearth stone rings.
34
Define a burial in archaeological terms.
A special feature that is composite, often containing artifacts and ecofacts ## Footnote Burials represent complex human behaviors and rituals.
35
Fill in the blank: The archaeological record is rarely a direct window into the past due to _______.
[formation processes]
36
What is the difference between cultural and moveable objects?
Cultural means modified or manufactured by humans while moveable means it is portable and can be moved around
37
Where have artifacts, ecofacts, or features have been?
Sites
38
What are the two elements of fieldwork?
Survey (at surface) and Excavation (below surface)
39
What does a survey provide in the context of fieldwork?
Spatial perspective
40
What does excavation provide in the context of fieldwork?
Temporal perspective
41
Why is survey useful in archaeology?
Many remains exist only on the surface
42
How are archaeological sites often found?
Through surveys
43
What is an example of a site discovered by accident?
Lascaux, France
44
What is one method used to discover archaeological sites systematically?
Using documentary sources like books and maps
45
What is ground survey?
Pedestrian survey of an area
46
What is aerial survey?
Remote sensing techniques from airplane or satellite (for features that are hard to detect from ground)
47
What are crop marks?
Form when grass grows taller over sunken ditches or shorter over buried walls
48
What is LIDAR used for?
Creating high-resolution maps of terrain, even under cover
49
What separates excavation from looting?
Documentation of findings during the excavation process
50
How do archaeologists keep track of remains during excavation?
In three dimensions: two horizontal (x, y) and one vertical (depth, z)
51
What is provenience in archaeology?
The context in which a find exists and its association with other finds
52
What is the purpose of setting up a grid system during excavation?
To keep track of provenience of finds
53
What happens to a site once it has been excavated?
It is destroyed and cannot be excavated again
54
What methods are used to sift dirt during excavation?
* Dry sifting through screen * Wet screening (flotation)
55
What types of materials are analyzed in the lab after excavation?
* Artifacts * Ecofacts * Record of features
56
What does BC/AD stand for?
Before Christ / Anno Domini ## Footnote Current year is AD 2022.
57
What does BP stand for in archaeological dating?
Before Present ## Footnote By convention, 'Present' is set to 1950.
58
What do relative dating techniques determine?
The relative order in which events occurred ## Footnote They do not provide absolute ages.
59
What is stratigraphy in archaeology?
A relative dating technique used to date archaeological material ## Footnote Validity depends on the level of disturbance in stratigraphy.
60
What confirmed the accuracy of stratigraphic relative dating at Gatecliff Shelter?
Radiocarbon dates ## Footnote This validates the stratigraphic method used at the site.
61
What is seriation in archaeology?
A relative dating technique that exploits changes in human material culture over time ## Footnote It involves analyzing style changes and technological turnover.
62
What do 'battleship curves' represent in seriation?
The popularity and decline of styles or technologies over time ## Footnote These curves show how styles increase in popularity, peak, and then decline.
63
How is seriation applied when there is no date available?
By using information about the frequency of technology/style at different sites to order them chronologically ## Footnote This method allows archaeologists to infer relative chronology.
64
What caution should be taken when using seriation?
It provides a relative chronological order but cannot determine the direction of time flow ## Footnote It does not indicate which site is oldest or youngest.
65
What are the four variations of absolute dating techniques?
* The material they can date * The event that they date * The time range over which they work * Their accuracy and precision ## Footnote These variations influence the applicability and reliability of different dating methods.
66
What is the first absolute dating method mentioned?
Calendars and chronologies ## Footnote Very precise and accurate but unavailable for most places and time periods.
67
What does dendrochronology rely on for dating?
Tree growth rings ## Footnote Growth rings vary in width depending on local weather conditions.
68
What is a master sequence in dendrochronology?
A database of tree rings over a long time period ## Footnote This sequence allows matching wood specimens from archaeological contexts to specific points in time.
69
What are the limiting factors of dendrochronology?
* Applies only in regions outside of tropics * Requires a master sequence * At least 30 rings must be preserved on the sample ## Footnote These factors limit the applicability of dendrochronology in various contexts.
70
What is the basis of radioactive clocks in absolute dating?
Radioactive decay operating at a known rate ## Footnote These methods provide a reliable way to date materials based on their radioactive content.
71
What does radiocarbon dating measure?
The time of death of an organism ## Footnote It does this by measuring the remaining quantity of Carbon 14 in a sample.
72
What is the half-life of Carbon 14?
5,730 years ## Footnote This means it takes 5,730 years for half of a quantity of Carbon 14 to decay into stable Carbon 12.
73
What happens to Carbon 14 after the death of an organism?
The supply ceases and the quantity starts to decrease ## Footnote This allows for the estimation of the time since death based on remaining Carbon 14.
74
What is a limitation of radiocarbon dating?
Cannot be used on material older than ~50,000 years ## Footnote After about 9 half-lives, the remaining Carbon 14 is too small to measure accurately.
75
What is the basis of potassium-argon dating?
Decay of potassium-40 into argon-40 ## Footnote This method is useful for dating very old rocks.
76
What is the half-life of potassium-40?
1.3 billion years ## Footnote This slow decay allows potassium-argon dating to be effective for very old geological samples.
77
What does potassium-argon dating measure in volcanic rocks?
The amount of argon-40 accumulated since the last volcanic eruption ## Footnote This helps archaeologists date the layers surrounding archaeological sites.
78
True or False: Dendrochronology can be applied in tropical regions.
False ## Footnote Dendrochronology is limited to regions outside of the tropics.
79
Fill in the blank: Radiocarbon dating cannot be used on material older than _______.
~50,000 years ## Footnote This limitation is due to the decreasing quantity of Carbon 14 over time.
80
What is an example of a site where potassium-argon dating is used?
Laetoli footprints ## Footnote This site is known for its preserved footprints and volcanic layers.

Buried Cities and Lost Tribes (2 decks)

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