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Glossary of archaeology

Index Glossary of archaeology

This page is a glossary of archaeology, the study of the human past from material remains. [1]

Table of Contents

  1. 93 relations: Absolute dating, Academic discipline, Acheulean, Aerial archaeology, Aerial photography, Allen Lane, Ancient history, Antiquarian, Antiquities, Archaeological culture, Archaeological excavation, Archaeology, Artifact (archaeology), Before Present, Birmingham Archaeology, Blade (archaeology), Calendar year, Canal, Cooper Bison Kill Site, Cremation, Cultural resource management, Daedalus (journal), Disturbance (archaeology), Earth science, Earthworks (archaeology), Environmental archaeology, Environmental history, Fill (archaeology), Funerary archaeology, Geoarchaeology, Geofact, Geoglyph, Geology, Glossary of archaeology, Glossary of history, Harris matrix, Henge, Hillfort, Homology (biology), Industrial archaeology, Industrial heritage, Industry (archaeology), Jar burial, Jericho, Kathleen Kenyon, K–Ar dating, Kiln, Million years ago, MIT Press, Modern archaeology, ... Expand index (43 more) »

  2. Archaeological terminology
  3. Glossaries of science

Absolute dating

Absolute dating is the process of determining an age on a specified chronology in archaeology and geology.

See Glossary of archaeology and Absolute dating

Academic discipline

An academic discipline or academic field is a subdivision of knowledge that is taught and researched at the college or university level.

See Glossary of archaeology and Academic discipline

Acheulean

Acheulean (also Acheulian and Mode II), from the French after the type site of Saint-Acheul, is an archaeological industry of stone tool manufacture characterized by the distinctive oval and pear-shaped "hand axes" associated with Homo erectus and derived species such as Homo heidelbergensis.

See Glossary of archaeology and Acheulean

Aerial archaeology

Aerial archaeology is the study of archaeological remains by examining them from a higher altitude.

See Glossary of archaeology and Aerial archaeology

Aerial photography

Aerial photography (or airborne imagery) is the taking of photographs from an aircraft or other airborne platforms.

See Glossary of archaeology and Aerial photography

Allen Lane

Sir Allen Lane (born Allen Lane Williams; 21 September 1902 – 7 July 1970) was a British publisher who together with his brothers Richard and John Lane founded Penguin Books in 1935, bringing high-quality paperback fiction and non-fiction to the mass market.

See Glossary of archaeology and Allen Lane

Ancient history

Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history through late antiquity.

See Glossary of archaeology and Ancient history

Antiquarian

An antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past.

See Glossary of archaeology and Antiquarian

Antiquities

Antiquities are objects from antiquity, especially the civilizations of the Mediterranean: the Classical antiquity of Greece and Rome, Ancient Persia (Iran), Ancient Egypt and the other Ancient Near Eastern cultures.

See Glossary of archaeology and Antiquities

Archaeological culture

An archaeological culture is a recurring assemblage of types of artifacts, buildings and monuments from a specific period and region that may constitute the material culture remains of a particular past human society. Glossary of archaeology and archaeological culture are archaeology.

See Glossary of archaeology and Archaeological culture

Archaeological excavation

In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains.

See Glossary of archaeology and Archaeological excavation

Archaeology

Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture.

See Glossary of archaeology and Archaeology

Artifact (archaeology)

An artifact or artefact (British English) is a general term for an item made or given shape by humans, such as a tool or a work of art, especially an object of archaeological interest. Glossary of archaeology and artifact (archaeology) are archaeological terminology.

See Glossary of archaeology and Artifact (archaeology)

Before Present

Before Present (BP) or "years before present (YBP)" is a time scale used mainly in archaeology, geology, and other scientific disciplines to specify when events occurred relative to the origin of practical radiocarbon dating in the 1950s.

See Glossary of archaeology and Before Present

Birmingham Archaeology

Birmingham Archaeology (formerly Birmingham University Field Archaeology Unit (BUFAU)) was the commercial arm of the Institute of Archaeology and Antiquity at the University of Birmingham.

See Glossary of archaeology and Birmingham Archaeology

Blade (archaeology)

In archaeology, a blade is a type of stone tool created by striking a long narrow flake from a stone core.

See Glossary of archaeology and Blade (archaeology)

Calendar year

Generally speaking, a calendar year begins on the New Year's Day of the given calendar system and ends on the day before the following New Year's Day, and thus consists of a whole number of days.

See Glossary of archaeology and Calendar year

Canal

Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi).

See Glossary of archaeology and Canal

Cooper Bison Kill Site

The Cooper Bison Kill Site is an archaeological site near Fort Supply in Harper County, Oklahoma, United States.

See Glossary of archaeology and Cooper Bison Kill Site

Cremation

Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning.

See Glossary of archaeology and Cremation

Cultural resource management

In the broadest sense, cultural resource management (CRM) is the vocation and practice of managing heritage assets, and other cultural resources such as contemporary art.

See Glossary of archaeology and Cultural resource management

Daedalus (journal)

Dædalus is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal that was established in 1846 as the Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, obtaining its current title in 1958.

See Glossary of archaeology and Daedalus (journal)

Disturbance (archaeology)

A disturbance is any change to an archaeological site due to events which occurred after the site was laid down. Glossary of archaeology and disturbance (archaeology) are archaeological terminology.

See Glossary of archaeology and Disturbance (archaeology)

Earth science

Earth science or geoscience includes all fields of natural science related to the planet Earth.

See Glossary of archaeology and Earth science

Earthworks (archaeology)

In archaeology, earthworks are artificial changes in land level, typically made from piles of artificially placed or sculpted rocks and soil.

See Glossary of archaeology and Earthworks (archaeology)

Environmental archaeology

Environmental archaeology is a sub-field of archaeology which emerged in 1970s and is the science of reconstructing the relationships between past societies and the environments they lived in.

See Glossary of archaeology and Environmental archaeology

Environmental history

Environmental history is the study of human interaction with the natural world over time, emphasising the active role nature plays in influencing human affairs and vice versa.

See Glossary of archaeology and Environmental history

Fill (archaeology)

In archaeology a fill is the material that has accumulated or has been deposited into a cut feature such as ditch or pit of some kind of a later date than the feature itself.

See Glossary of archaeology and Fill (archaeology)

Funerary archaeology

Funerary archaeology (or burial archaeology) is a branch of archaeology that studies the treatment and commemoration of the dead.

See Glossary of archaeology and Funerary archaeology

Geoarchaeology

Geoarchaeology is a multi-disciplinary approach which uses the techniques and subject matter of geography, geology, geophysics and other Earth sciences to examine topics which inform archaeological and chronological knowledge and thought.

See Glossary of archaeology and Geoarchaeology

Geofact

A geofact (a portmanteau of geology and artifact) is a natural stone formation that is difficult to distinguish from a man-made artifact.

See Glossary of archaeology and Geofact

Geoglyph

A geoglyph is a large design or motif – generally longer than – produced on the ground by durable elements of the landscape, such as stones, stone fragments, gravel, or earth.

See Glossary of archaeology and Geoglyph

Geology

Geology is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time.

See Glossary of archaeology and Geology

Glossary of archaeology

This page is a glossary of archaeology, the study of the human past from material remains. Glossary of archaeology and glossary of archaeology are archaeological terminology, archaeology, archaeology-related lists and Glossaries of science.

See Glossary of archaeology and Glossary of archaeology

Glossary of history

This glossary of history is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to the study of history and its related fields and sub-disciplines, including both prehistory and the period of human history.

See Glossary of archaeology and Glossary of history

Harris matrix

The Harris matrix is a tool used to depict the temporal succession of archaeological contexts and thus the sequence of depositions and surfaces on a 'dry land' archaeological site, otherwise called a 'stratigraphic sequence'.

See Glossary of archaeology and Harris matrix

Henge

A henge loosely describes one of three related types of Neolithic earthwork.

See Glossary of archaeology and Henge

Hillfort

A hillfort is a type of fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage.

See Glossary of archaeology and Hillfort

Homology (biology)

In biology, homology is similarity due to shared ancestry between a pair of structures or genes in different taxa.

See Glossary of archaeology and Homology (biology)

Industrial archaeology

Industrial archaeology (IA) is the systematic study of material evidence associated with the industrial past.

See Glossary of archaeology and Industrial archaeology

Industrial heritage

Industrial heritage refers to the physical remains of the history of technology and industry, such as manufacturing and mining sites, as well as power and transportation infrastructure.

See Glossary of archaeology and Industrial heritage

Industry (archaeology)

In the archaeology of the Stone Age, an industry or technocomplex is a typological classification of stone tools.

See Glossary of archaeology and Industry (archaeology)

Jar burial

Jar burial is a human burial custom where the corpse is placed into a large earthenware container and then interred.

See Glossary of archaeology and Jar burial

Jericho

Jericho (Arīḥā,; Yərīḥō) is a city in the West Bank, Palestine; it is the administrative seat of the Jericho Governorate of Palestine.

See Glossary of archaeology and Jericho

Kathleen Kenyon

Dame Kathleen Mary Kenyon, (5 January 1906 – 24 August 1978) was a British archaeologist of Neolithic culture in the Fertile Crescent.

See Glossary of archaeology and Kathleen Kenyon

K–Ar dating

Potassium–argon dating, abbreviated K–Ar dating, is a radiometric dating method used in geochronology and archaeology.

See Glossary of archaeology and K–Ar dating

Kiln

A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or chemical changes.

See Glossary of archaeology and Kiln

Million years ago

Million years ago, abbreviated as Mya, Myr (megayear) or Ma (megaannum), is a unit of time equal to (i.e. years), or approximately 31.6 teraseconds.

See Glossary of archaeology and Million years ago

MIT Press

The MIT Press is a university press affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

See Glossary of archaeology and MIT Press

Modern archaeology

Modern archaeology is the discipline of archaeology which contributes to excavations.

See Glossary of archaeology and Modern archaeology

Mortimer Wheeler

Sir Robert Eric Mortimer Wheeler CH CIE MC TD (10 September 1890 – 22 July 1976) was a British archaeologist and officer in the British Army.

See Glossary of archaeology and Mortimer Wheeler

Mousterian

The Mousterian (or Mode III) is an archaeological industry of stone tools, associated primarily with the Neanderthals in Europe, and to the earliest anatomically modern humans in North Africa and West Asia.

See Glossary of archaeology and Mousterian

Naco Mammoth Kill Site

The Naco Mammoth Kill Site is an archaeological site in southeast Arizona, 1 mile northwest of Naco in Cochise County.

See Glossary of archaeology and Naco Mammoth Kill Site

Outline of archaeology

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to archaeology: Archaeology – study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation, and analysis of material remains and environmental data, including architecture, artifacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. Glossary of archaeology and outline of archaeology are archaeology-related lists.

See Glossary of archaeology and Outline of archaeology

Paleoethnobotany

Paleoethnobotany (also spelled palaeoethnobotany), or archaeobotany, is the study of past human-plant interactions through the recovery and analysis of ancient plant remains.

See Glossary of archaeology and Paleoethnobotany

Palynology

Palynology is the study of microorganisms and microscopic fragments of mega-organisms that are composed of acid-resistant organic material and occur in sediments, sedimentary rocks, and even some metasedimentary rocks.

See Glossary of archaeology and Palynology

Pipeline

A pipeline is a system of pipes for long-distance transportation of a liquid or gas, typically to a market area for consumption.

See Glossary of archaeology and Pipeline

Pollen

Pollen is a powdery substance produced by most types of flowers of seed plants for the purpose of sexual reproduction.

See Glossary of archaeology and Pollen

Pollen core

A pollen core is a core sample of a medium containing a stratigraphic sequence of pollen.

See Glossary of archaeology and Pollen core

Pottery

Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form.

See Glossary of archaeology and Pottery

Pre-Pottery Neolithic B

Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) is part of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic, a Neolithic culture centered in upper Mesopotamia and the Levant, dating to years ago, that is, 8800–6500 BC.

See Glossary of archaeology and Pre-Pottery Neolithic B

Radiocarbon dating

Radiocarbon dating (also referred to as carbon dating or carbon-14 dating) is a method for determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of radiocarbon, a radioactive isotope of carbon.

See Glossary of archaeology and Radiocarbon dating

Rescue archaeology

Rescue archaeology, sometimes called commercial archaeology, preventive archaeology, salvage archaeology, contract archaeology, developer-funded archaeology, or compliance archaeology, is state-sanctioned, archaeological survey and excavation carried out as part of the planning process in advance of construction or other land development.

See Glossary of archaeology and Rescue archaeology

Rock art

In archaeology, rock arts are human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces.

See Glossary of archaeology and Rock art

Satellite imagery

Satellite images (also Earth observation imagery, spaceborne photography, or simply satellite photo) are images of Earth collected by imaging satellites operated by governments and businesses around the world.

See Glossary of archaeology and Satellite imagery

Secondary sector of the economy

In macroeconomics, the secondary sector of the economy is an economic sector in the three-sector theory that describes the role of manufacturing.

See Glossary of archaeology and Secondary sector of the economy

Section (archaeology)

In archaeology a section is a view in part of the archaeological sequence showing it in the vertical plane, as a cross section, and thereby illustrating its profile and stratigraphy.

See Glossary of archaeology and Section (archaeology)

Settlements of the Cucuteni–Trypillia culture

The study of the settlements of the Cucuteni-Trypillia culture provides important insights into the early history of Europe.

See Glossary of archaeology and Settlements of the Cucuteni–Trypillia culture

Shovel test pit

A shovel test pit (STP) is a standard method for Phase I of an archaeological survey.

See Glossary of archaeology and Shovel test pit

Sieve

A sieve, fine mesh strainer, or sift, is a tool used for separating wanted elements from unwanted material or for controlling the particle size distribution of a sample, using a screen such as a woven mesh or net or perforated sheet material.

See Glossary of archaeology and Sieve

Single context recording

Single context recording was initially developed by Ed Harris and Patrick Ottaway in 1976, from a suggestion by Laurence Keen.

See Glossary of archaeology and Single context recording

Stratigraphy (archaeology)

Stratigraphy is a key concept to modern archaeological theory and practice.

See Glossary of archaeology and Stratigraphy (archaeology)

Sukhothai Historical Park

Sukhothai Historical Park (อุทยานประวัติศาสตร์สุโขทัย) covers the ruins of Sukhothai, literally 'dawn of happiness', capital of the Sukhothai Kingdom in the 13th and 14th centuries, in north central Thailand.

See Glossary of archaeology and Sukhothai Historical Park

Table of years in archaeology

The following entries cover events related to the study of archaeology which occurred in the listed year. Glossary of archaeology and Table of years in archaeology are archaeology-related lists.

See Glossary of archaeology and Table of years in archaeology

Tessa Wheeler

Tessa Wheeler (Verney; 27 March 1893 – 15 April 1936) was an archaeologist who made a significant contribution to excavation techniques and contributed to the setting up of major British archaeological institutions after the Second World War.

See Glossary of archaeology and Tessa Wheeler

Trench

A trench is a type of excavation or depression in the ground that is generally deeper than it is wide (as opposed to a wider gully, or ditch), and narrow compared with its length (as opposed to a simple hole or pit).

See Glossary of archaeology and Trench

Trial trenching

Trial trenching is a rapid and relatively inexpensive method of archaeological evaluation used to estimate the archaeological potential of a site.

See Glossary of archaeology and Trial trenching

Tumulus

A tumulus (tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Glossary of archaeology and tumulus are archaeology.

See Glossary of archaeology and Tumulus

Typology (archaeology)

In archaeology, a typology is the result of the classification of things according to their physical characteristics.

See Glossary of archaeology and Typology (archaeology)

Underground power line

An underground power line provides electrical power with underground cables.

See Glossary of archaeology and Underground power line

Underwater archaeology

Underwater archaeology is archaeology practiced underwater.

See Glossary of archaeology and Underwater archaeology

Uniface

In archaeology, a uniface is a specific type of stone tool that has been flaked on one surface only.

See Glossary of archaeology and Uniface

Upper Paleolithic

The Upper Paleolithic (or Upper Palaeolithic) is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age.

See Glossary of archaeology and Upper Paleolithic

Urn

An urn is a vase, often with a cover, with a typically narrowed neck above a rounded body and a footed pedestal.

See Glossary of archaeology and Urn

Urnfield culture

The Urnfield culture was a late Bronze Age culture of Central Europe, often divided into several local cultures within a broader Urnfield tradition.

See Glossary of archaeology and Urnfield culture

Use-wear analysis

Use-wear analysis is a method in archaeology to identify the functions of artifact tools by closely examining their working surfaces and edges.

See Glossary of archaeology and Use-wear analysis

Verulamium

Verulamium was a town in Roman Britain.

See Glossary of archaeology and Verulamium

Watching brief

In British archaeology a watching brief is a method of preserving archaeological remains by record in the face of development threat.

See Glossary of archaeology and Watching brief

Water distribution system

A water distribution system is a part of water supply network with components that carry potable water from a centralized treatment plant or wells to consumers to satisfy residential, commercial, industrial and fire fighting requirements.

See Glossary of archaeology and Water distribution system

Wheeler–Kenyon method

The Wheeler–Kenyon method is a method of archaeological excavation.

See Glossary of archaeology and Wheeler–Kenyon method

X-ray

X-rays (or rarely, X-radiation) are a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation.

See Glossary of archaeology and X-ray

X-ray fluorescence

X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is the emission of characteristic "secondary" (or fluorescent) X-rays from a material that has been excited by being bombarded with high-energy X-rays or gamma rays.

See Glossary of archaeology and X-ray fluorescence

Zooarchaeology

Zooarchaeology merges the disciplines of zoology and archaeology, focusing on the analysis of animal remains within archaeological sites.

See Glossary of archaeology and Zooarchaeology

See also

Archaeological terminology

Glossaries of science

References

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_archaeology

Also known as Archaeological association, Archaeological context, Archaeology glossary, Archaeology jargon, Archaeology terminology, Archaeology terms, Archeology glossary, Archeology jargon, Archeology terminology, Archeology terms, Assemblage (Archaeology), Association (archaeology), Backfill, Backfilling, Balk (archaeology), Baulk (archaeology), Bladelet (archaeology), Context (archaeology), Dry sieve, Dry sieving, Floatation (archaeology), Flotation (archaeology), Fragment of pottery, Fragments of pottery, Glossary of archaeology terms, Glossary of archeology, Glossary of archeology terms, Homology (anthropology), Homology (archaeology), Kerbstone, Kerbstone circle, Kill site, Kiln site, Law of Association, List of archaeology terms, List of archeology terms, Locus (archaeology), Matrix (archaeology), Occupation debris, Occupation earth, Occupation layer, Occupation layers, Pollen diagram, Pollen profile, Pollen spectrum, Post hole, Post pipe, Post-hole, Post-holes, Posthole, Postholes, Postmold, Postpipe, Potshard, Potsherd, Potsherds, Pottery sherds, Sherd, Sherds, Shovel Bum, Shovelbum, Wet sieve, Wet sieving.

, Mortimer Wheeler, Mousterian, Naco Mammoth Kill Site, Outline of archaeology, Paleoethnobotany, Palynology, Pipeline, Pollen, Pollen core, Pottery, Pre-Pottery Neolithic B, Radiocarbon dating, Rescue archaeology, Rock art, Satellite imagery, Secondary sector of the economy, Section (archaeology), Settlements of the Cucuteni–Trypillia culture, Shovel test pit, Sieve, Single context recording, Stratigraphy (archaeology), Sukhothai Historical Park, Table of years in archaeology, Tessa Wheeler, Trench, Trial trenching, Tumulus, Typology (archaeology), Underground power line, Underwater archaeology, Uniface, Upper Paleolithic, Urn, Urnfield culture, Use-wear analysis, Verulamium, Watching brief, Water distribution system, Wheeler–Kenyon method, X-ray, X-ray fluorescence, Zooarchaeology.