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What’s Left? Material What’s Left? Material Evidence and Their Evidence and Their
PreservationPreservation
- announcements- announcements
- questions mid-term (recap)- questions mid-term (recap)
- Ch. 2- Ch. 2
Basic categories of archaeological Basic categories of archaeological finds:finds:
1. artefacts: portable objects used, modified or made by 1. artefacts: portable objects used, modified or made by people: tools, pottery, metal weapons, jewellery etc.people: tools, pottery, metal weapons, jewellery etc.
2. features: non-portable objects, so humanly modified 2. features: non-portable objects, so humanly modified parts of a site that are non-portable: hearths, postholes, parts of a site that are non-portable: hearths, postholes, storage pits, ditches, soils, sediments etc.storage pits, ditches, soils, sediments etc.
3. organic and environmental remains or ‘ecofacts’ that 3. organic and environmental remains or ‘ecofacts’ that are not objects: textiles, animal bones, skeletons, plant are not objects: textiles, animal bones, skeletons, plant remains, soils, sediments (material deposited in the remains, soils, sediments (material deposited in the earth’s surface) earth’s surface)
Archaeological site: place where all these characteristics are Archaeological site: place where all these characteristics are found or where significant traces of human activity can found or where significant traces of human activity can be foundbe found
Region: group of sitesRegion: group of sites
ContextContext
Primary Context: Primary Context: original contextoriginal context
Secondary Context:Secondary Context:
Context disturbedContext disturbed by by humans/nature recently humans/nature recently
or in the pastor in the past
Context
Matrix
Provenience
Other finds
Formation Processes
2. Natural transformation processes (N-transforms): ‘natural events that govern burial and survival of archaeological record’
a. Inorganic materials
b. Organic materials: only survival in exceptional circumstances – natural disasters, extremely dry, cold or wet conditions (waterlogged environments)
1. Cultural formation processes (C-transforms): ‘deliberate or accidental activities of human beings’
a. original human behaviour: tools, buildings
b. deliberate burial: hoard/burial of the dead
c. human destruction of archaeological record
Quiz!Quiz!1. Cultural or natural formation process?1. Cultural or natural formation process?2. If cultural formation process:2. If cultural formation process:
a. original human behavioura. original human behaviourb. deliberate burialb. deliberate burialc. human destructionc. human destruction
If natural formation process:If natural formation process: a. is the find organic?a. is the find organic? b. is the find inorganic?b. is the find inorganic?
and: How has it been preserved?and: How has it been preserved?a. Dry conditionsa. Dry conditions
b. Wet conditionsb. Wet conditionsc. Cold conditionsc. Cold conditionsd. Natural disasterd. Natural disastere. Othere. Other