ARCHAEOLOGY VOCABULARY

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absolute dating:

determination of age with reference to a specific time scale, chronometric dating

A.D.:

the abbreviation of anno domini, which means "in the year of our lord"; in measuring time, this means years since the birth of Christ

agriculture:

farming, or the cultivation of food plants such as corn and beans

anthropology:

the science of studying the cultural behavior and evolution of people

antiquity:

ancient times

archaeology:

the study of past cultures through their material remains

archaeological site:

a place that contains artifacts or other cultural remains left by people who once lived in or used that place

Archaic:

a period of prehistory following the Paleoindian period; During the Archaic period, people lived mostly by hunting small game and gathering wild plant food

arrow point:

a sharp stone tip, or projectile point, for use on an arrow that is to be shot from a bow

artifact:

items made, modified or utilized by humans

Balcones Fault Zone:

change in elevation and topography

B.C.:

the abbreviation of "before Christ"; in measuring time, this means years berfore the birth of Christ

biface:

generic term for any stone tool that has been flaked on both faces of the stone

B.P.:

the abbreviation of "before the present"

catalogue:

an artifact is catalogued when it has been given a number that tells exactly where in the site that artifact was found

chert:

a siliceous rock of chalcedonic of opaline silica occurring in limestone and used in making stone tools

Contact Period:

the time from the arrival of the first Europeans (about 1500) until the Spaniards began to build missions in the state of Texas (about 1700)

core:

a mass of material often preformed by the worker to the desired shape to allow the removal of a definite type of flake or blade

culture:

a group of people who speak the same language and have the same customs and way of life from generation to generation

cultural anthropology:

cultural resources:

archaeological heritage

curation:

to catalog, protect and manage recovered artifacts

curator:

one who oversees the processing of recovered artifacts

debitage:

residual lithic material resulting from tool manufacture

domesticate:

the act or process through which people cultivate or raise plants and animals for use by people

ecofacts:

non-artifactual organic and environmental remains which have cultural relevance

ethnohistory:

the study of the deveolpment of past cultures

excavate:

in archaeology, to investigate a site through a careful, scientific digging process

flint:

hard fine-grained quartz that sparks when struck with steel

grid:

in archaeology, a system of squares placed over a site so the exact locations in the site can be recorded during excavation

hearth:

location where stones remain in place to show where people once built a fire

historic:

of or pertaining to the time period after the arrival of Europeans to the New World

in situ:

natural undisturbed position of an object or material

knapping:

the act of molding siliceous rocks into tools

Late Prehistoric:

the last period of prehistory in Texas; the Late Prehistoric period began when people began to use the bow and arrow, make pottery and practice agriculture; this period ended when the Europeans came toTexas and the Historic Period began

Lower Cretaceous Period:

term used to describe a period of geologic time during the Mesozoic era between the Jurassic and the Upper Cretaceous; 98,000,000 to 135,000,000 millions years before the present

material legacy or material reamins:

buildings, tools and other artifacts that constitute the material remains of a former society

midden:

any place where past people heaped trash, food remains or other discarded items; shell middens are common along the coast and burned-rock middens are common in central Texas

Paleoindian:

the earliest known prehistoric inhabitants of North America

paleontologist:

a scientist who studies the history of animals through fossilized remains of animal bones

perishable artifact:

an artifact made of wood, plant fiber or some other material that will not last long after the item is descarded

prehistoric:

that which occurred before written records

preserve:

to keep in perfect or unaltered condition; maintain in an unchanged form

preservation:

the protection of archaeological and historic sites

projectile points:

the term used to include arrow, dart and spear points

radiocarbon dating:

method of Absolute dating, based on the rate of radioactive decay of the isotope Carbon 14 contained in organic material

relative dating:

determining the age of a specimen relative to its position in a stratigraphical or archaeological sequence; determination of chronological sequence without recourse to a fixed time scale

salvage archaeology:

the location and recording of archaeological sites in advance of highway construction, drainage projects...

screen:

the sifting of matrix material removed from an excavation to recover artifactual material not removed by the excavator

uniface:

a generic term for any stone tool that has been flaked on only one side of the stone

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Page created by Rick and Liz Newcomb in San Antonio, TX
Chamal@texas.net