ANTH 2050 : Exam 1
Archeology
January 17, 2014
The Basics:
• What is Archeology?
o 1 of 4 sub disciplines of Anthropology
o Anthropology is the study of people and their biology and culture
across time and space.
o Anthropology Sub disciplines:
▪ Archaeology
▪ Cultural Anthropology
▪ Linguistic Anthropology
▪ Biological or Physical Anthropology
• Archaeology itself is the systematic, scientific recovery and analysis of
artifacts in order to answer questions about past human culture and
behavior.
• It is considered a science.
• Archaeology is destruction!
o There is only 1 shot to excavate things underground, because once the
ground is dug through, it is destroyed.
•
• Why do we need Archaeology?
o To understand where we come from
o To understand older cultures and lost information
o “Winners of the wars write history”—archaeology pieces together
facts from lost cultures when there was no writing system and stories
weren’t told
• How do digs get started?
o Chance/Accidental
o Protection
o Emergency
o Research
Terms:
• Systematic: A consistent way of studying anything
• Science: methods and knowledge of studying anything
• Recovery/Analysis: to collect and study artifacts
• Artifact: any item resulting from human activity (can be altered)
o Can be portable
▪ Ceramics
▪ Projectile points
▪ Baskets
▪ Textiles
o Not portable
▪ Structures or architecture/walls
▪ Monoliths
▪ Hearths
▪ Large stones
o Lithic Analysis: is the study of stone tools
o Ceramic Analysis: is the study of pottery and things made of fired clay
o Metallugry: is the study of metal artifacts produced by smelting
• Ecofacts—any object recovered from an archaeological site which are from
biological organisms or from geological processes
o Faunal analysis: study of animal bones or shells
o Osteology: is the study of human bones
o Paleoethnobotany: is the study of plant remains/pollen
• Taphonomy is the process that happens to organic remains (human faunal)
after death
o Transported or changed by the elements
▪ Moved by water
▪ Sun bleached
o Chewed on or moved by animals
o Has it been broken?
o Does it have cut marks on it?
o Mummy bundles?
• Stratigraphy—as sediments get deposited, a sequence is created known as
Stratigraphy
o Law of superposition states that any undisturbed depositional
sequence is younger than what lays beneath it
o Oldest=bottom
o Youngest=top
• Context and Provenience
o Provenience is the exact location or context that an artifact or ecofact
is found IN.
o Context is where/what it was found WITH
o They are both important for dating purposes.
• Absolute Chronology
o Absolute Chronology refers to calendar years
▪ Coins
▪ Records
▪ Manufacture/makers marks
• Relative Chronology is based on “typology” and creates a temportal sequence
which may not be linked to calendar years; Everything is relative to each
other
o Ceramics
o Projectile points
o Textiles
Dating Techniques
• Radiocarbon—dates sites younger than 40,000 years. Dates the decay rate
of carbon isotopes (organic materials)
• Argon dating—dates volcanic eruptions. (dates back millions of years)
• Paleomagnetism—the reversal of the earth’s magnetic field (volcanic ash,
also dates back millions of years)
• Lumniescence—measures the uptake of radioactive materials (soils, teeth,
stone—also dates back to millions of years)
• Dendrochronology—tree rings
• Obsidian hydration—measures obsidian artifacts and the decay of the
surface of obsidian
Studies
• Synchronic Studies—focus on comparisons within the same time period
o Different groups of people occupying one area
o Social class
• Diachronic studies—make comparisons between different periods
o The same site being occupied for thousands of years
▪ How did the architecture, ceramics, or people change?
▪ Burial practices…?
History
• The first archaeologists
o Antiquarians or wealthy collectors of artifacts
• Early Archaeology
o It was a combination of several other sciences concerned with the
evolution of man
• 1920’s
o Archaeology became a fully fledged scientific discipline
Modern Scientific Archaeology: 1960’s
• The invention of modern scientific excavation techniques
• Using a multi-disciplinary approach to study people
• Increasing impact of science on archaeology
• Refinement of archaeological theory
• Newer methods
o Aerial Imagery/Satellite
▪ Google Earth
▪ Drones
▪ LIDAR
▪ Remote sensing
• Archaeology is still one of those rare fields where “accidental” discoveries
happen all the time.
Video on Accidental Findings in Archaeology.
Document Summary
Dating techniques also dates back millions of years) of carbon isotopes (organic materials: radiocarbon dates sites younger than 40,000 years. History: the first archaeologists, antiquarians or wealthy collectors of artifacts, early archaeology, it was a combination of several other sciences concerned with the, archaeology became a fully fledged scientific discipline evolution of man, 1920"s. Modern scientific archaeology: 1960"s: the invention of modern scientific excavation techniques, using a multi-disciplinary approach to study people, refinement of archaeological theory, newer methods. Increasing impact of science on archaeology: aerial imagery/satellite, google earth, drones, lidar, remote sensing, archaeology is still one of those rare fields where accidental discoveries happen all the time. What is culture: the complex of learned behaviors found in human societies, culture is our non-biological means of adapting to our natural and social environment, examples: tools, clothing, language, writing. Evolution: common descent: every organism descends from a common ancestor-phylogeny, hominoid, hominid, hominin (modern and distinct humans)
