Archaeological methods, dating techniques, and major sites and periods from an intro archaeology course.
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- What is stratigraphy in archaeology?
- The study of layers in archaeological deposits and how they relate to the sequence of human activity
- What does the principle of superposition state?
- In undisturbed sites, layers deposited earlier are buried beneath layers deposited later
- What is context in archaeology?
- The location, association, and relationship of an artifact to other materials at an excavation site
- What is provenience?
- The precise three-dimensional location where an artifact was found during excavation
- What is the difference between relative and absolute dating?
- Relative dating determines the sequence of events, while absolute dating assigns specific calendar dates
- What is radiocarbon dating used for?
- Dating organic materials up to approximately 50,000 years old
- What is the half-life of carbon-14?
- Approximately 5,730 years
- What is potassium-argon dating?
- A dating technique used to determine the age of volcanic rocks and minerals
- What is thermoluminescence dating?
- A dating method that measures the amount of light emitted when heated minerals are warmed
- What is dendrochronology?
- A dating technique using the patterns of tree rings to determine age
- What is a feature in archaeology?
- Non-portable evidence such as hearths, post holes, walls, or refuse pits
- What is a midden?
- A concentration of discarded refuse and waste materials from human occupation
- What is taphonomy?
- The study of how organisms and materials become buried and fossilized after death
- What is typology in archaeology?
- The classification and analysis of artifacts based on their shared physical characteristics
- What is seriation?
- A dating method based on the assumption that artifact styles change over time in a predictable sequence