Help
Options
Didn't know it?
click below
click below
Knew it?
click below
click below
Don't Know
Remaining cards (0)
Know
retry
shuffle
restart
0:00
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
History Archaeology
How to Sound Like an Archaeologist
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Absolute dating | A specific date obtained by measurement or calculation. It always states the time in actual years before present (B.P.) or in millions of years ago (M.Y.A.) |
| Archaeology | The study of the human culture of the past |
| Inorganic remains | A type of artefact used or manufactured by humans and can be made of a variety of raw materials such as ceramics, bone, leather, grass, bark, wood, metal, etc. |
| Organic remains | A type of artefact. The remains of living things |
| Fieldnotes/Field book | Meticulous written notes kept while digging that detail all of the information revealed at the site as digging progresses |
| Fieldjacket | The plaster and gauze casts that protect the large, heavy bones on their way to the labs |
| Grid | The carefully measured sequence of "squares" established at the site before digging begins. The measured distance along the sides of each square varies with the type and size of the site |
| intrusive elements | Anything that destroys or alters the stratigraphy of the site, for example plant roots, burrowing animals, shovels, or construction |
| In situ | Finding an artefact "in place", i.e. totally undisturbed since it was deposited in that particular location |
| Law of superposition | This law states that in any pile of objects such as dirty dishes or clothes that have not been disturbed, the objects on the bottom were deposited first |
| Paleontology | The study of ancient life or traces of life. This form of study does not usually refer to the study of early humans (called paleoanthropology) |
| Radiocarbon dating | A measure of the length of time since the death of a living organism based on the rate of decay of the radioactive carbon isotope carbon 14. This form of dating can only be used for dates up to 50,000 BP |
| Relative dating | A nonspecific date obtained by comparison with something else |
| Seriation | A method of dating artefacts based on the idea that older objects are more simple in construction and style than more recent objects |
| Sieving | Filtering the dig sediments through fine mesh screens to ensure that no small objects have been missed by the trowel |
| Site | The location of an archaeological dig, usually named after the family who owns the land |
| Stratigraphy | The patter of different layers that is found in the sediments at a site. Generally, a change in layer indicates a change in culture and/or time |
| Trowelling | The process of gently and carefully scraping away the sediment by removing only 1-2 cm depth at a time. The "floor" of the pit should be kept as even as possible at all times |
Created by:
c4larissa
Popular History sets