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Archaeology
Unit vocabulary
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Archaeology | the study of material remains from ancient people and their culture. |
Artifact | small, hand-made objects meaning “made with skill.” |
Civilization | a highly advanced culture or society. |
Culture | the customs, beliefs, socials forms, and material traits of a racial, religious or social group. |
Dig Site | an archaeological excavation site. |
Excavation | careful digging into the ground to look for archaeological remains from the past. |
Field Work | the discovery, examination and recording of an archaeological site to collect information before excavation. |
Hieroglyphics | a system pictures developed by the Ancient Egyptians where each picture stood for a sound or idea. |
Petroglyphs | pictures painted or etched onto the walls of caves by prehistoric people. |
Ruins | the remains of something destroyed, such as old buildings and structures. |
Archaeologist | a person who learns about the past by digging things up. |
History | a branch of knowledge dealing with events in the past. |
Prehistoric | Pertaining to the era before recorded history events known mainly through archaeological discoveries, study and research |
Decompose | to break down or rot. |
Preserve | to protect something so it doesn’t rot away. |
Remains | what’s left of old bodies or ancient objects. |
Trowel | a small, pointed tool used by an archaeologist to dig and scrape away dirt. |
Fragment | a small piece broken off from a larger object. |
Replica | a copy of something. |
Radiocarbon Dating | measures the decay of an atom, which is how scientists figure out the age of an artifact. |
Catalogue | to clean, number, organize and store artifacts for study. |
Reconstruction | a structure rebuilt to resemble as closely as possible to the original. |
Lithic | items made of stone, such as stone tools, like an arrowhead. |
Currency | something used as a medium of exchange when buying and selling- usually paper money and coins. |
Primary Source | a firsthand or eyewitness account of an event; original artifact |
Secondary Source | any document passed down describing a person place or event; replica of the real thing. |