Post on 18-Dec-2015
Intro to Archaeology
Examine the following slides. From the images extrapolate as much information about the artefact(s) just by looking at them superficially.
What else could you do to find out more about these artefacts?
Find the Site walk around and look carefully plowed fields (after rainstorms) have artifacts on the
surface important to note the location of surface artifacts because
their distribution may be related to artifacts underneath grid, carefully labeled collection bags can reveal sites relative age, length of time it was
occupied (campsite, village, cemetery, or other type of occupation)
subject to damage from erosion or looting good timing – erosion – luck?
Survey the site record location relative to
landscape surveying usually followed
by mapping – sketch maps used limited in size and little accuracy of topography
proton magnetometer reads magnetic materials in the subsurface (iron, fired clay, trenches, pits, tombs etc) – show up as magnetic a nomalies
help place archaeological units where high chance of features to be found
Excavation hesitant to disturb integrity of an in tact
archaeological site all excavation requires destruction – only
small amount of information can be recovered
grid drawn over the area using stakes and cord
use drafting equipment to record grid onto site map
take notes on every aspect of the operation
drawings, field diaries, forms, maps drawn and recorded before moving
Equipment
shovels towels knives dental picks (depending on level of care required) Brushes of different sizes and textures Tape measures, cords, and line levels Screens made of wire mesh and wooden frames
used to sift through everything leaving the dig site
Stratigraphy
relation of artifacts, buried features etc, to each layer the sequence in which successive layers of soil were
built up over the archaeological deposit age of item relative to materials higher or lower in the
ground also illustrate geological processes that have affected
the site over time can stretch over a few hundred or a few thousand
years draw profiles of the walls of their excavations
Artefacts
any object that was manufactures or altered by human activity
transported from site to laboratory – analyzed using a variety of techniques
stone, bone, fiber, wood, clay, metal and other materials
Lithics – made of stone Pottery – clay is very durable once it has been fired –
reveal technological and artistic developments Precious artifacts – made of gold – an extremely rare
occurrence in archaeology – existence of these treasures has led to the destruction of countless archaeological sites
Examples of Archaelogical Digs
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=witOlhzl31Q
Studying Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of HUMANITY. There are many subfields including, cultural, forensic, physical and social anthropology.
.....the most fundamental question in the study of anthropology is...who are the ancestors of modern human beings?