Managing Archaeology in the Early Twenty-first Century

academic archaeology – Archaeology undertaken for intellectual or scholarly reasons and based primarily in colleges, universities, and research museums and institutes. (p.53)

archaeobiology – A subfield of archaeology focusing on animal and botanical remains recovered from archaeological sites. Archaeobiology includes both archaeobotany and zooarchaeology. (p.59)

archaeobotany – A subfield of archaeology focusing on plant remains recovered from archaeological sites; also known as paleoethnobotany. (p.57)

archaeometry – Archaeology associated with the methods of natural sciences, such as math and physics, usually used in the analysis of materials. (p.57)

armchair archaeology – A phrase used to describe both professionals and amateurs who focus on describing or explaining what others have done, without participating in fieldwork themselves. (p.59)

biblical archaeology – Archaeology that focuses on peoples, places, and events mentioned in the Bible. (p.57)

bioarchaeology – The study of human remains from archaeological sites. (p.59)

ceramic – Baked clay. (p.57)

classical archaeology – Archaeology focusing on the empires of ancient Greece and Rome. (p.57)

colonial archaeology – Archaeology focusing on the time periods and places under European colonial rule, especially in Australia, Canada, and the United States. (p.57)

descendant communities – A group of people who can trace their ancestry to others who lived in an area. In archaeology, descendant community usually refers to the Indigenous Peoples of a region. (p.72)

dirt archaeology – Fieldwork, including looking for and excavating archaeological sites. (p.59)

ecological archaeology – Archaeology focusing on the relationships between people and natural environments. (p.59)

Egyptology – A multidisciplinary field of study focusing on ancient Egyptian civilization. Prominent specialties within Egyptology include archaeology, history, and art. (p.57)

exoarchaeology – A subfield of archaeology focusing on the physical remains of human space exploration. (p.62)

forensic archaeology – Archaeology done in the context of criminal investigations, including the search for evidence using archaeological methods and the identification of human remains. (p.57)

garbology – The study of fresh household trash and contemporary landfills. (p.59)

geoarchaeology – Archaeology focusing on sediments from sites and the reconstruction of abiotic environments, including natural landscapes. (p.57)

gray literature – Archaeological reports with limited distribution. (p.55)

historic archaeology – Focuses on a time period in an area for which written records exist. Also known as historical archaeology. (p.57)

Indigenous archaeology – Archaeology done by, with, or for Indigenous Peoples; most often associated with the Aborigines of Australia, Native Americans of the United States, and First Nations of Canada. Indigenous archaeology represents an attempt to bring oppressed and neglected theoretical and methodological approaches informed by Indigenous groups to the forefront of anthropological scholarship. (p.53)

industrial archaeology – industrial archaeology: A subfield focusing on sites and objects of heavy industry such as mining, logging, and power generation. (p.59)

knowledge mobilization – An umbrella term used to describe multiple ways of sharing knowledge between researchers and knowledge users, including both academic and non-academic groups. (p.77)

lithic – In archaeology, usually means stone tool or the waste from stone tool manufacture. (p.57)

megaliths – A large stone, often in association with others and forming an alignment or monument, such as at Stonehenge and Carnac. (p.73)

Mesolithic – The time period from about 11,000 to 9,000 years ago; not commonly used outside of Europe. (p.57)

Neolithic – The time period from about 9,000 to 5,000 years ago; not commonly used outside of Europe. (p.57)

New World – The Americas. (p.59)

Old World – Africa, Asia, and Europe. (p.59)

osteology – The study of the human skeleton. (p.59)

palaeoanthropology – The study of early human biology and culture. (p.57)

Palaeolithic – The time period from about 2.5 million to about 11,000 years ago; commonly referred to as the “Old Stone Age” and subdivided into the Lower, Middle, and Upper Paleolithic. (p.57)

post-colonial archaeology – Post-colonial archaeology refers to attempts to radically transform anthropology and archaeology by privileging the voices from people historically on the periphery of the field and from cultures that have been written about by anthropologists and colonized in the past. See also decolonization and Indigenous archaeology. (p.59)

pothunter – A generic term used to describe a person who loots archaeological sites. (p.57)

pre-Columbian archaeology – Archaeology focusing on the Americas before the arrival of Christopher Columbus; usually used to describe the archaeology of the large chiefdoms and states of Mesoamerica, such as the Maya and Aztec. (p.57)

prehistoric archaeology – Archaeology focusing on a time period before which written records exist in a given area. (p.57)

shovelbum – A term applied to itinerant archaeological fieldworkers, who often go from project to project working for various employers in the CRM industry. (p.55)

space archaeology – The study of how humans’ desire to explore the “last frontier” – space – has left material traces on Earth, the Moon, Mars, and in orbit. (p. 62)

tangible heritage – The material aspect of heritage, such as artifacts and sites; compared to intangible heritage, which includes such things as folklore and traditions. (p.62)

underwater archaeology – Archaeology that focuses on sites and objects underwater, including shipwrecks. (p.59)

zooarchaeology – The study of animal remains from archaeological sites. (p.57)

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Welcome
to the
world of
archaeology.

Chapter 3

Managing Archaeology in the Early Twenty-first Century

Archaeological Sites

Chapter 3

Managing Archaeology in the Early Twenty-first Century

Introduction

Learning Objectives

Glossary

Suggested Readings

Key Resources

Archaeological Sites

Archaeological Sites