Archaeology Test 3

Define Catchment Analysis and the steps of conducting it

-Catchment Analysis = used in agricultural societies to indicate the quantitative importance of domesticated plant crops -Catchment = the area of land being analyzed -Steps = 1) Decide which area to analyze and use a surrounding radius of 7km to create the catchment 2) Map all the soil types 3 )Identify crops being grown using macrofloral or pollen analysis 4) Figure out the yield of each crop for each soil type

What are the 4 different ways to determine population size/density at a site?

1) *Catchment Analysis* = annual crop yields per capita can be found, which indicates a village size 2) *Household Enumeration* = you count the number of domiciles (sleeping facilities) and multiply that by the average family size; PROBLEM = assumes all house mounds were occupied which isnt realistic 3) *Naroll's Formula* = found that the average roofed over area per person is 10m^2, so if you can identify all the roof space, you can determine the number of people; PROBLEM = this doesnt work in urban contexts 4) *Artifact Density* = can determine population by analyzing the relationship between population and artifact location and density; *BEST technique for finding pop. size*

What are the six attributes of an artifact?

1) *Form* = shape, dimensions, and weight 2) *Composition*= the materials it's made from 3) *Temporal* = what time period it's from or associated with 4) *Provenience* = The place where you find the artifact 5) *Frequency* = how many of those artifacts in a place 6) *Association with other artifacts*

What are the technological types of stone tool production?

1) *Knapping* = chipping stone to produce tools; very common; uses chipped stone Lithic reduction; it's recursive which means you can refit debitage to get at tool shape 2) *Grinding* = stone is pecked and ground to produce the desired shape; it's non-recursive which means you can not refit Debitage to get at tool shape

The 3 Direct techniques in faunal analysis

1) *MNI* (minimum number of individuals)= states that the highest frequency of common skeletal elements indicates the minimum animals consumed; *Problem*= it assumes that the entire animal is consumed; that may happen in a band society but not the others, especially 2)*Skeletal Allometry*= looks at the ratio of flesh to bone for each species; then uses a formula to determine amount of food consumed *Problem*= meat is not evenly distributed on and animals skeleton 3)*Residues*= blood residue can indicate animal species; *Problem*= it can't tell how many of each animal so you don't know which animal was most important in diet; can't quantify animal consumption

What are the five ways to produce ceramics?

1) *Modeling*= lump of clay is free-form shaped into desired configuration by hand 2)*Coiling*= rings of clay stacked to form desired shape 3)*Molding*= Clay pressed into a form to produce the desired shape 4)*Throwing*= Clay is put on rotating device and shaped by centripetal force 5)*Slip Casting*= liquid clay is poured into mold to get desired shape

What are the 2 forces used in chipped stone reduction?

1) *Percussion*= the maximum force is initially applied to fracture the stone; the force recedes as it's absorbed by stone; goes from max force to less; has more force but less control 2) *Pressure*= force is gradually applied until sufficient enough to fracture stone; goes from zero force to max; has less force but more control

What are the two components of burial analysis?

1) *Skeletal Analysis*= concerned with the biology of the burial; 2)*Mortuary Analysis*= studying the method of internment of the individual

What factors does skeletal analysis deal with?

1) Age 2) Sex 3) Disease 4) Stature 5) Skeletal modification while alive

What are the three major types of Sherds?

1) Body Sherds = least important 2) Basal Sherds 3) Rim Sherds = A sherd that contains the lip; The *most important type* because you can tell the form and size of the vessel; any Sherd that contains the lip is a rim sherd

What are the 2 philosophies of Typology?

1) Monothetic Typology = artifacts must possess all of the attributes that define that type 2) Polythetic Typology = artifact can possess some, not all, attributes of that type

What are the two types of polish?

1) Polish you can see with the naked eye, like sickle sheen 2) Polish patterns that require a microscope to see

The 7 types of evidence for indirect floral analysis

1) digging sticks 2) sticks 3) hoes = indicates extensive agriculture 4) plow = indicates intensive agriculture 5) terraces = indicates intensive agriculture 6) irrigation systems = usually indicates intensive agriculture 7) food processing tools

What factors does mortuary analysis deal with?

1) the offerings and furnishings places with the individual 2) the direction and orientation of the individual and the grave

What are the 6 different kinds of Types?

1)* Technological Types *= artifacts are placed into types based on the way they are made and the materials they're made of 2) *Temporal Type* = artifact placed into type based on its ability to infer time; ex: a coin and car can be in same type if they were made in the same year 3) *Technofunctional Type* = artifacts placed into types based on their utility function; rubber mallets, sledge hammers, claw hammers are in different types bc they're used for different things 4) *Sociofunctional Type* = artifacts placed into type based on their sociopolitical function; ex: different styles of artifacts can be used to define political/cultural boundaries 5) *Ideofunctional Type* = artifacts placed into types based on their ideofunction 6) *Native Type* = the way culture classifies or puts artifacts into types; refers to the *name* of the type

The 2 direct techniques in floral analysis

1)*Macrofloral remains* of seeds, nuts, starches; particularly carbonized plants because they are preserved better; *Problem*= can't quantify plant consumption 2) *Residues* like starches and fats 3) *Phytoliths* = the skeletal remains of plants; little silica bodies; more durable than pollen so they dont necesarily date the site

What are the four types of tool use/wear?

1)*Microscaring*= chips on the edge of tools 2)* Polish*= Polish on the edge of a tool 3)*Striations*= scratches on the side of tools 4)*Residues*= physical traces of substances being worked on edge of tool

What are the four characteristics of ceramics (Ware) ?

1)*Paste*= The Clay itself; must add water to clay; it is actually called plastic; malleable 2)*Temper*= A non-plastic material I added to clay so it won't crack; aids in firing; can be crushed bone, shell, ceramics, feathers, dung; will not shrink 3)*Slip*= colored coating of a clay wash added to surface of ceramic form; gives it 4)*Glaze*= vitreous coating that is fused by heat to the surface of ceramic form; works as barrier from water

What are the four basic patterns of Striations?

1)*Slicing*= indicated by scratches that are oblique or at an angle to the edge of the tool; this is the *most common type of striation* 2)*Scraping*= indicated by short scratches perpendicular to edge of tool; Second most common striation 3)*Sawing*= indicated by series of scratches parallel to edge of tool; third most common striation 4)*Planing*= indicated by long scratches perpendicular to edge on one face of tool and short perpendicular scratches on opposite face; *least common striation*

If a site has about the same amount of many different types of tool ware, what does that indicate?

A combination of domestic and specialized production which means it is a Cheifdom; it can also indicate the production of sacred objects (Shell and Jade cut to by obsidian)

Blade

A flake with parallel edges and a length 2 times or greater than it's width

Biface Preform

A rock that will eventually become a tool chipped on both sides

What is an Atl-Atl?

A stone tipped dart. When you find one of these it indicates that people are eating deer

How many types can one artifact be classified into?

All six types!

Define assemblage

Any group of artifacts used in a study

Quarry site

Archaeological site where raw material is obtained to make tools; ppl didn't live there; at a Lithic quarry site, the Debitage will be big bc they're mostly cores

Why is knowing the population of a region so important?

Because population size and density is associated with the sociopolitical complexity of a society. Ex: Bands have the smallest population and states have the biggest

Why should archaeologists not wash blades?

Because there could be residue

Why is it so difficult to define specific attributes?

Because things like cats and dogs are so easily identified, we don't think of the specific attributes each has that actually defines them as either a cat or a dog.

Define Sherd

Broken a fragment of ceramics; these are usually found not, whole ceramic vessels

What analysis is the most important in archaeology?

Burial! Because you can actually study the individuals that lived in the past; DIRECT technique

How can you learn the sociofunction of a vessel?

By analyzing the way the ceramic was made

How are temporal types organized in ceramics?

By form or shape, decoration, and temper

How can isotopes help in subsistence analysis?

By looking at the isotope ratios in a person's bones, you can determine how much of a crop a person ate; ex: a lot of maize eaten would yield N15 isotope in bones; a lot of fish eaten would yield C13

What can the size and frequency of Debitage tell you?

Can indicate of ppl lived and/or made tools at a specific site; can indicate quarry site

What forces are bet to use in stone tool production?

Combination of percussion and pressure

Define Coprolites and the advantages and disadvantages of analyzing them

Coprolites = paleofeces; they indicate the actual residues of the contents of a meal; its DIRECT; a combination of floral and faunal analysis *Problem* = only represents food consumed over a 1-3 day period *Advantage* = can find food that normally wouldn't be preserved like crawfish

What is one of the most genetically modified plants?

Corn/Maize

What type of deposition are direct techniques in faunal analysis associated with?

Disard

What do pens indicate?

Domestic animals

What are coiling and modeling ceramic production associated with?

Domestic mode of production in big man and chiefdom societies

Define domestic lithic assemblage

Domestic mode of production; objects made in the household

How is a blade produced?

Edges are removed from a core using percussion force; each flake made into a blade; you can get 250 blades out of one core and 750 tools when the blades are snapped in thirds

What type of residues are found on tools?

Fats, which indicate species of plant or animal; blood which indicate what species of animal the tool was used on; starch, which indicates plant species

Describe the time periods of temper from oldest to newest

Fiber (oldest), crushed stone, sand, grit, shell (newest)

What is a common technique used to find many plant and animal remains?

Flotation!

Describe the relationship between function and form

Function is dependent on a vessels form; most vessels are multi functional

What are the San Martin orange craters at teotihuacan associated with?

High status because they are used to cook meat and meat was expensive

Examples of indirect evidence in faunal analysis

Hunting tools and pens

How are obsidian blades an example of the ideofunction of a tool?

In many chiefdoms, obsidian blades were believed to be made by the gods. So, even though obsidian is soft and not good for cutting, it was used to make objects like cutting shell and Jade because obsidian was godly

What is slip casting associated with?

Industrial production

How does lithic analysis indicate the Sociofunction of tools?

It can indicate domestic or specialized mode of production

What happens when a tool gets dull?

It gets retouched by chipping off part of the edge which creates a new edge; this process make really small flakes

What does a lot of slicing tool ware at a site indicate?

It indicates a domestic mode of production

Describe polish on a tool?

It is created by rubbing or burnishing the edge of the tool. Ex: When a tool is used to cut plants a frosted glaze called *sickle sheen* is left on the tool

Define and Describe how Pollen in floral analysis can be direct and indirect

It is the male plant sex gamete and can indicate specific plant species. Pollen can be direct or indirect = *Indirect* = you can look at pollen in a surrounding environment and reconstruct the paleoenvironment *Direct* = the pollen is found on the processing tool

Why would a site not have any bones?

It means there were dogs at the site and they ate the bones

How do ceramics work?

It's a chemical reaction. Clay plus water plus fire/heat equals ceramics!

What are the eight components that make up the anatomy of a ceramic vessel?

Lip (orifice of the vessel), neck, shoulder, handle, body, base, support, and appliqué (A piece of decorative ceramics *added* to the vessel)

Striking platform

Location on the core where force is applied; once force is applied, it's location is on the flake

What type of deposition are the direct techniques in floral analysis associated with?

Loss

Describe microscaring and how the use of the tool is determined by it?

Micro scarring produces flake scars which indicate the angle and intensity of the force applied on the tool. The area of each flake scar is measured to try to determine what the tool did. * this is the least useful in determining the use of the tool*!!!

How it can polish on a tool be used to determine the tools use? What is it's problem?

Microscopic patterns in the polish can indicate the material being worked. Problem= it is really hard to distinguish between the polish pattern

Which type is the least useful to archaeologists?

Native type

Is decoration part of ware?

No

Are all artifacts tools?

No!

Are utilitarian items placed in burials?

No! Common burial goods are censors, theater censors, and miniature vessels

What type of ceramic production are bands associated with?

None! They didn't have ceramics

Define Debitage

Pieces of material produced in the manufacture of tools; pieces of material that come off I'm production of tool

Is Monothetic typology or Polythetic better?

Polythetic is a better way to classify artifacts, but monothetic is usually used because its easier

Define Lithic Reduction

Process by which unmodified stone is turned into a tool

When is raw material not cultural?

Raw material prior to any modification nodule is NOT cultural

Which type of tool wear is the most direct?

Residues because you have the material itself that was worked by the tool

How are residues different from the other types of tool wear?

Residues don't involve the damage to the edge of tool; all others do.

What is the best technique in Lithic wear analysis?

Residues! Problem= residues are not always found

Which striations are the most and least domestic?

Slicing is the most domestic and planing is the least domestic

What else can ceramic styles indicate?

Societal boundaries

What does a lot of sawing tool ware at a site indicate?

Specialized mode of production

Define specialized lithic assemblage

Specialized mode of production; objects made in a workshop; usually found in states

What are molding and throwing ceramic production associated with?

States because they indicate mass production

Core

Stone object that the tools are made of; you can either use core to make tools or you can use the pieces that are chipped off to make tools (which is the better way bc it gives you more tools)

Describe striations and how they can be used to determine the use of a tool?

Striations are scratches, usually on obsidian blade. The scratches can determine the motion of the tool and the hardness of the material being worked.

What can the frequency of different ceramic styles indicate a matrilineal/matrilocal site?

Styles of ceramics are passed down from mother to daughter, so if a style of ceramic constantly stays in one place it indicates that the women stay in one place and the men move

What are the two minor types of Sherds?

Supports and Handles

Which type is the easiest to figure out?

Technological type

Which attribute is *not* directly associated with the artifact?

Temporal attributes

Which type is non-behavioral?

Temporal type

What can be found through lithic analysis?

The Sociofunction technofunction and Ideofunction of a tool

Define lithic wear analysis

The analysis of how the stone objects are used (technofunction)

What is subsistence analysis?

The analysis of plants (flora) and animals (fauna) that were eaten at a site

Define Lithic Analysis

The analysis of stone tools and their production; it is a technofunction category

Cortex

The rough oxidized exterior of a stone that isn't chippable; must get rid of cortex to make tool; ppl hit t with a hammerstone to create a force of 70 degrees

Bifacial retouch flakes

The small flakes made when retouching a tool; of these are found, you know that there were tools at the site

What is Typology and why do archaeologists use it?

The study of types. Its used bc archaeologists must organize artifacts in certain ways so they can infer behavior from them

Flake

Thin chip of stone detached from the core

Hammerstone

Tool used to knapp using percussion force

Define Tools

Useful artifacts

What is the relationship btwn tool production and Debitage size?

When going from core to tool, Debitage goes from large to small and few to many

Is Debitage considered an artifact?

Yes bc they're associated with human behavior

What is the advantage of blade production?

You can get 750 tools per core; they also have many uses