Page 1 of 6 Selected Archeological Terms Links General Reference Bibliographies Glossaries Terms A b C D E F G H i j k l M N O P q R S T U V w x y z ADAPTATION: The process of change to better conform with environmental conditions or other external stimuli. ALLUVIUM: Sediment (mud, sand, and gravel) laid down by flowing water. The largest particles (sand and gravel) tend to accumulate within the channel itself. Particles of clay, silt, and fine sand are small enough to be suspended in flowing water. When the stream overflows its banks, these particles can be distributed across the valley floor. These overbank or flood deposits are the most common contexts in which buried archaeological sites are found. Stream valley floors are underlain by deposits of alluvium and often contain buried archaeological sites. ANTHROPOLOGY: The scientific and humanistic study of man's present and past biological, linguistic, social, and cultural variations. Its major subfields are archaeology, physical anthropology, cultural anthropology, and anthropological linguistics. ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONTEXT: The physical setting, location, and cultural association of artifacts and features within an archaeological site. ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE: A location where human activities once took place and left some form of material evidence behind. ARCHAEOLOGY (also spelled ARCHEOLOGY): The scientific study of the physical evidence of past human societies recovered through collection, artifact analysis, and excavation. Archaeologists not only attempt to discover and describe past cultures but also to formulate explanations for the development of cultures. Conclusions drawn from study and analyses provide answers and predictions about human behavior that add, complement, and sometimes correct the written accounts of history and prehistory.
Page 2 of 6 ARCHAEOLOGIST: A person trained in the knowledge and methods of archaeology. A professional archaeologist usually holds a degree in anthropology with a specialization in archaeology and is trained to collect archaeological information in a proper scientific way. ARTIFACT: Any object manufactured, used or modified by humans. Common examples include tools, utensils, art, food remains, and other products of human activity. ASSEMBLAGE: A group of artifacts related to each other based upon some recovery from a common archaeological context. Assemblage examples are artifacts from a site or feature. COLLECTIONS AND DATA MANAGEMENT: Archaeologists work with conservators, curators, and computer programmers to catalogue, preserve, and store the vast numbers of archeological artifacts, reports, and site records. Storage space for artifacts and records is a continuing problem for many archaeologists and agencies. CULTURE: Common beliefs and practices of a group of people. The integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon man's capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations. CULTURAL RESOURCES: Sites, structures, landscapes, and objects of some importance to a culture or community for scientific, traditional, religious, or other reasons. CULTURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: A branch of archaeology that is concerned with developing policies and action in regard to the preservation and use of cultural resources. DEBITAGE: Debris that remains from the manufacturing of stone tools. EGYPTOLOGIST: An archaeologist who specializes in the study of Ancient Egyptian culture and architecture. ETHNOCENTRISM: The belief that one's culture is superior to all others. EXCAVATION: Digging up and removing artifacts and features from an archaeological site in order to analyze and predict past human behavior. FEATURES: Evidence of human activities visible as disturbances in the soil. Such disturbances are produced by human actions such as digging pits for
Page 3 of 6 storage, setting posts for houses, or by constructing a hearth for cooking. These disturbances are often distinguished by soil discoloration. GEOCHRONOLOGY: Aging of artifacts based on the age of the geological formations in which they are located. GEOGRAPHY: The study of the earth's surface and its contours. GEOLOGY: Study of the minerals and rocks which make up the crust of the earth. HALF-LIFE: The amount of time necessary for one-half of a given mass of a radioactive isotope to decay into another element. HIEROGLYPHS: The pictographic symbols of ancient writing systems minerals and rocks which make up the crust of the earth. MAGNETOMETER: Instrument that detects changes in the earth's magnetic field. Used by archaeologists to detect and map historic features and artifacts both in the ground and underwater. MATRIX: The material that archaeological artifacts are surrounded by before being excavated. MUMMY: A preserved body wrapped in cloth. Ancient Egyptians mummified their dead, believing it was necessary for them to enter the after-life. MIDDEN: The layer of soil which contains the byproducts of human activity as the result of the accumulation of these materials on their living surface. For prehistoric sites, a layer of soil that was stained to a dark color by the decomposition of organic refuse which also contained food bones, fragments of stone tools, charcoal, pieces of pottery, or other discarded materials. For historic sites, a similar layer of soil but with appropriate historic material remains often in a much thinner deposit. NATIONAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION ACT of 1966: This act of Congress and its later amendments establishes national standards for protecting archaeological and historic sites and provides mechanisms for public and private funding of historic preservation including archaeological work in federally funded or licensed projects. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE: Established within the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1916 to manage the National Park System, which today comprises approximately 380 national parks, national historic sites, national
Page 4 of 6 battlefields, national seashores, and other "national" designations. The National Park Service is the chief agency in the federal government charged with protecting archaeological and historic sites of national significance. NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES: Established by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 to protect and preserve historic sites of national significance. The Keeper of the National Register is an administrative branch within the National Park Service that officially reviews nominations of archaeological and historic sites and structures and guides the federal implementation of cultural resources legislation. NATIVE AMERICAN: Of, or relating to, a tribe, people, or culture that is indigenous to the United States. Synonymous to "American Indian." OBSIDIAN: A volcanic glass which is one of the finest raw materials for the chipping of stone tools. ORAL HISTORY: Verbally transmitted information about past events. Although often providing valuable information about non-written events, such history is subject to the vagaries of human perceptions and mental recall. PALYNOLOGIST: One who studies plant pollen and spores. Since pollen may be preserved thousands of years, it can be used to reconstruct the environment and plant ecology of the past. PETROGLYPHS: Carvings in rock which express artistic or religious meaning. PICTOGRAPHS: Paintings on rock which express artistic or religious meaning. PLEISTOCENE: A geologic period, sometimes referred to as the "Ice Age," which began about 1.6 million years ago and ended with the melting of the large continental glaciers creating the modern climatic pattern about 11,500 years ago. Some North American archaeologists specialize in the investigation of sites containing the remains of extinct animals such as the wooly mammoth that were hunted by PaleoIndian groups between about 12,000 and 8,000 years ago at the end of the Pleistocene. PREHISTORIC HUNTER-GATHERERS: Humans who lived prior to written history and depended upon the hunting of wild animals and the gathering of natural plant foods for their livelihood.
Page 5 of 6 PREHISTORIC SITES: Locations where people who were alive before modern written records existed once lived, hunted, camped, or were buried. Painted or carved rock outcrops are considered sites as well. PROVENIENCE: The three-dimensional location of an artifact or feature within an archaeological site, measured by two horizontal dimensions, and a vertical elevation. PUBLIC ARCHAEOLOGY: A branch of modern archaeology that focuses on increasing public awareness and education about archaeology and that promotes legislative attempts to provide funding and protection for archaeological sites. RADIOCARBON DATING: Using the known half-life of Carbon-14 and measuring the amount of undecayed carbon-14 in animal or plant remains, an age bracket of the remains and an associated artifact or feature can be determined. SEDENTARY: A term applied to human groups leading a settled, nonmigratory lifestyle. SERIATION: Technique in which artifacts are dated relatively to each other without any strict assigning of age. SHERDS: The individual pieces of broken pottery vessels. SITE SURVEY: A non-intrusive method of observing a site without excavation. There are many types of surveys, including pedestrian walkovers, controlled collection, and a number of remote sensing procedures such as resistivity, magnetic, radar, side-scan sonar, and metal detection surveys. These surveys allow archaeologists to "see" a buried site or feature without disturbing the ground and guide any needed follow-up investigations such as test excavations, block excavations, and other kinds of data retrieval. SOIL SCIENTIST: One who studies the distribution, fertility, and chemical and organic composition of the upper layer of the Earth. STRATA: The layers of sediment or rock revealed after excavation or through natural weathering. STRATIGRAPHY: The study of layers sequentially deposited over time. This is very helpful for land archaeology. Under water, it can also be useful, but it is more complicated and often confusing because of current and sea movement.
Page 6 of 6 STATE ARCHAEOLOGIST: An appointed official who is responsible for overseeing all potential impacts to archaeological resources and for reviewing and administering all archaeological work in order to insure compliance with state and federal regulations. STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE (SHPO): Established by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 as an agency within each state government charged with enforcing the provisions of the Act. SHPO's receive federal funds from the National Park Service and allocate matching funds and grants to local agencies and private citizens for the protection of sites eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. SUBSISTENCE ECONOMY: The means by which a group obtains the food and shelter necessary to support life. TEST EXCAVATIONS: Subsurface excavations in areas which are either defined as sites based on surface artifacts or thought to contain buried deposits based on the landform TOPOGRAPHY: Study of land features at a site. This can be useful in determining the potential of an archaeological site for excavation. TRIBE: A group of people able to support a level of subsistence in a permanent settlement. UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGY: Strictly, this means archaeology under water, which is the main discipline of maritime archaeology. However, the term underwater archaeology is often used in a wider sense, also covering maritime and nautical archaeology, not necessarily under water. VARVES: Layers of alluvium deposited by retreating glaciers. Return to the Top