Week 1 Flashcards
(44 cards)
What is archaeology?
The study of human history through examining its material remains like material culture
what are the kinds of materials?
structures
artifacts
ecofacts
structures
non-movable manmade objects
ex building and infrastructure
artifacts
movable manmade objects
artwork
everyday objects
ecofacts
natural, non-manmade objects
organic remains and inorganic remains (seed and stones respectively)
finding material
material in continuous use
survey
excavation
out of context finds
evaluating material
what is it
what was its function
when was it made
material in continuous use ex
the pantheon
has been renovated and bc of the continuous use its hard to learn about its early days
survey
looking for finds on the survface of the ground
field walking
drones
just land no digging
excavation
uncovering buried material remains
uses stratigraphy
what is stratigraphy?
the study of strata
or stratum (layers of soil)
further down the earlier the item is from
out of context finds
might not have archaeolgical context
old finds, chance finds, lootings
the value of the item may be lost and might be difficult to authenticate
know about the helemt out of context find
what was the treasury of atreus used for
it was a tomb provided evidence of burial practices
how to date in antiquity
BCE olders is bigger number
CE is rn and bigger is more recent
BCE
Before Christ/Before Common Era
Dates go backwards, ex Julius Caesar lived from 100-44 BCE
AD/CE
Anno domine (the year Jessus was born)
dates go forwards like now
ca.
circa= apporx
r.
rexit=when someone reigned
terminus post quem
limit after which (earliest possible date)
ex if you find a coin from that time then is everything post that date
Terminus ante quem
point before which
lastest possible date
ex if we know a site was destroyed we know what everything must be from before that date
how do you say centuries
450 BCE is the 5th century
1900 is the 20th century add 1 to the hundreds column
prehistory
time before written records
what are some problem with talking about hisotry in periods
biases towards major historical figures, regardless of changes in daily life
can give a negative impression of some periods (dark ages)
can give false impression of neat division between times in history
bronze age-there was bronze is all time periods and othe metals were also being used