Comprehending the Archaeological Record

behavioral disturbance processes – Human processes such as trampling, scavenging, construction, and looting that affect the original patterning of archaeological remains; also known as cultural disturbance processes and C-transforms. (p.96)

behavioural formation processes – Human processes that lead to the creation of archaeological sites, such as deliberate discard, loss, and abandonment; also known as cultural formation processes. (p.85)

bioturbation – Disturbance of archaeological sites by plants and animals. Examples include a rodent burrowing into the ground and tree roots spreading horizontally and vertically through a site. (p.89)

bog men – Dozens of human bodies preserved in the bogs of northern European countries, especially Denmark. Also known as bog people. (p.93)

cache – A stored quantity of something, usually food or artifacts. (p.86)

cache pit – A pit dug into the ground to store something, usually food. (p.81)

c-transforms – Also known as cultural disturbance processes or behavioral disturbance processes, these are human activities that alter the original patterning of archaeological remains, including trampling and construction activities. The term “c-transforms” was widely used in the 1970s and 1980s but is rarely used in the twenty-first century. (p.96)

cultural formation processes – The human processes that lead to the creation of archaeological sites, such as deliberate discard, abandonment, and loss; also known as behavioral formation processes. (p.85)

cultural landscape – A distinctive geographic area with cultural significance. (p.79)

debitage – Waste from the manufacture of artifacts, usually stone. Also known as detritus. (p.94)

ecofact – Items from archaeological sites, not recorded as artifacts or features, but that are relevant to archaeological interpretations. Includes animal remains, botanical remains, and sediments. (p.79)

faunal remains – Animal remains, including bones, teeth, shells, horns, antlers, fur, hair, nails, claws, talons, and soft tissue. (p.83)

faunalturbation – Disturbance of archaeological sites by animals. (p.94)

feature – A non-portable object that shows evidence of being manufactured, modified, or used by people, or an arrangement of material remains in which patterning is significant. (p.79)

floralturbation – Disturbance of archaeological sites by plants, including trees. (p.94)

grave goods – Items, usually artifacts and food, included with a human burial. (p.86)

in situ – In its original context, undisturbed; literally meaning “in place.” (p.87)

lithic debitage – Waste from the manufacture of stone tools. (p.82)

lithic scatter – A scattering of lithic waste flakes (debitage or detritus) created during the manufacture of stone tools. (p.81)

matrix – The sediments surrounding the artifacts, features, and ecofacts. (p.84)

midden – A large, discrete accumulation of refuse. (p.80)

mummy – Well-preserved animal remains (usually human and including soft tissue) that result from drying, including those intentionally dried and those dried through fortuitous circumstances. (p.93)

natural formation processes – The natural processes that bring sediments into archaeological sites, such as through water and air. Also known as non-cultural formation processes. (p.85)

non-cultural disturbance processes – Natural processes that affect the original patterning of archaeological remains; also known as natural disturbance processes and N-transforms. (p.85)

N-transforms – Natural processes that affect the original patterning of archaeological remains; also known as natural disturbance processes and non-cultural disturbance processes. Although common in the 1970s and 1980s, the term “n-transforms” is used rarely in the early twenty-first century. (p.94)

obsidian – A fine-grained volcanic stone, classified as a glass. Because of its excellent quality for stone tool manufacture, it was traded widely in prehistory. (p.91)

petroglyphs – Designs carved or pecked into large boulders, bedrock, or the walls of cliffs, caves, and rock shelters. (p.81)

phytoliths – Small particles of silica from the cells of plants. (p.83)

pictographs – Paintings on large, immovable boulders or bedrock, or the walls of cliffs, caves, and rock shelters. (p.81)

post-depositional disturbance process – Any process, cultural or natural, that affects an archaeological deposit after it was initially created. (p.93)

pothunting – A generic term used to describe the looting of archaeological sites. (p.96)

potsherd – A broken piece of pottery. (p.82)

primary refuse – Refuse that was abandoned where it was created or used and left undisturbed until found by archaeologists. (p.85)

sacred site – Site with presumed religious or spiritual significance. (p.82)

secondary refuse – Refuse that was moved from where it was initially created. (p.85)

semi-sedentary – Semi-permanent settlement pattern. (p.80)

shell midden – An accumulation of refuse with a substantial amount of shell. (p.80)

site formation processes – The variety of cultural and natural processes leading to the creation of archaeological sites. (p.85)

taphonomy – In a broad sense, both the natural and cultural forces that shape the archaeological record. A narrower and more restrictive definition is that it is the study of what happens to organic remains after death. (p.89)

tell – A term used to describe mounds that have been created by successive settlements in the Middle East, western Asia, and northern Africa. (p.80)

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Welcome
to the
world of
archaeology.

Chapter 4

Comprehending the Archaeological Record

Archaeological Sites

Chapter 4

Comprehending the Archaeological Record

Introduction

Learning Objectives

Glossary

Suggested Readings

Key Resources

Archaeological Sites

Archaeological Sites