Archaeology Chapters 1 - 6

Human produced sediments L6

"archaeosediments" and anthrosols

Nicolas Steno L5

( 17th C) Formulated the law of superposition. Law of superposition: Layers are arranged in a time sequence, with the oldest at the bottom and the youngest on top, unless later processes disturb this arrangement

Units of analysis for Archaeology L2 ( 5 Items )

- Artifacts: Portable Objects made, used, or modified by humans - Ecofacts: Natural items used by humans or related to them - Features: Non-portable evidence of human activity - Sites: Spatially defined locations of human activity containing artifacts, features, ecofacts - Regions: Area where sites are located; geographical concept defined by ecological/cultural factors

Context/Observations Data L2

- Context gives meaning to archaeological objects; carefully documented; helps us to interpret the past - Provinence: Where something is found - Provenance: Where something is from - Data: Relevant observations made on objects

Four Fields of Anthropology L1

- Cultural - Archaeology - Linguistic Anthropology - Biological Anthropology ( All united by culture )

Processual Archaeology AKA The New Archaeology ( History of Archaeology ) L1 Lewis Binford? Focused on?

- Developed by Lewis Binford in 1946 - Focused on reconstructing entire cultural systems, not just sites, in more scientific/quantitative ways

Conjunctive Approach ( History of Archaeology ) L1 Walter Taylor? Urged what? Main Critique?

- Developed by Walter Taylor 1948 - Focused on the functional interpretations of artifacts and their contexts - Urged archaeologist to focus on everyday life, not just the grand things - Main Critique: Be more scientific, hypothesis testing, quantitative, efficient, and holistic

What is Archaeology? ( 2 Things ) L1

- Diachronic: Through time - Synchronic: Slice of time

Culture in the 1920s-1950s: L1 Franz Boaz? Alfred V. Kidder? Women Archaeologist? Arthur C. Parker?

- Franz Boas: Father of American Anthropology who developed it's four fields. - Alfred V. Kidder: Founder of Americanist archaeology, "move from things to people" - Women archaeologist include: 1) Frederica de Laguna 2) H. Marie Wormington 3) Tatiana Proskouriakoff - Arthur C. Parker: First Native American archaeologist ( Seneca ), and president of SAA in 1935 who was focued on reconstructing how culture changed over time, mostly descriptive

Major Characteristics of the Anthropological Approach L1

- Holistic - Integrative - Comparative

Screening? L4

- Increases control - Minimize Loss - Maximize information - Obtain Statistically Significant Sample: Screen size matters

Why Survey?

- No site is typical of the whole settlement pattern: 1) Settlement Pattern: The distribution of archaeological sites across the region 2) Settlement Systems: The movement of activities reconstructed from settlement pattern

Historical Europe Assumptions L5

- People assumed that natural world was static. able could be used to understand human history and the age of the earth ( Usshers calculation ) but view began to change 17th c - 19th c.

What do geoarchaeologist do? How do they help interpret sites? L6

- Predict where buried sites might be - Help plan site excavations - Help interpret sites: 1. Structure 2. Age 3. Integrity 4. Environmental context 5. Activities

Main goals of Archaeology ( These need to be explained ) L2

- Reconstruct the history of cultures - Reconstruct past lifeways - Explain how and why cultures change over time

How do you know where to dig? L3

- Some sites are never lost ( bigger sites ) - Some sites locations are preserved in oral traditions - Some located through archival research - Some are found by pure luck ( Ex: Gunshoe survey: Gatecliff Shelter ) - Many are found by systematic survey: 1) Survey: Mapping and/or collecting archaeological materials found on the ground

What does Archaeology study and what does it attempt to explain? L1

- Studies material remains NOT historic sources - Explains how and why culture changes across time and space

Four Strategies of Archaeology L1

- Study of past human behavior through past material culture. Traditional view of archaeology. Prehistoric and historic archaeology. - Study of the past human behavior through present material culture. Examples include ethnoarchaeology, experimental archaeology, and formation processes. Ethnoarchaeology and Experimental Archeology. - The study of present human behavior through past material culture. Example includes Applied Archaeology. - Study of the present human behavior through present material culture. Modern material cultural studies.

Archaeology in the 20th Century (3 things ) L1

-Systematic scholarly research in universities - Systematic methods - Professionalization's

What do we find? L3 ( 2 things )

1) Archaeological Sites: Any place where material evidence exists about human past activities. Usually refers to a concentration of such evidence. 2) Palimpsets: Surface sites may contain material from different time periods. This may be caused by deflation.

Julian Steward L3 Paiute? Seasonal Round? Problem?

1) Studied the Paiute: A Shoshonean group in the Great Basin, recorded oral histories of substance practices and settlement patterns in the past. 2) Through interviews and observation of the Paiute identified the seasonal round, a type of settlement system in which a group moves around the landscape exploiting different resources throughout the year. 3) Problem: Stewards Depression-era research documented lives of Paiutes that did not have access to wetlands, their prehistoric ancestors did

12 Questions of Archaeology L1

1) What is left? 2) Where? 3) When? 4) How were societies organized? 5) What was the enviroment like? 6) What did they eat? 7) How did they make and use tools? 8) What contacts did they have? 9) What did they think? 10) Who were they and what were they like? 11) Why did things change? 12) Whose past is it?

Scientific Method L2

1. Define a problem 2. Establish a hypothesis 3. Determine the implications of the hypotheses 4. Collect appropriate data 5. Test the hypothesis by comparing these data with the expected implications 6. Reject, Revise, and/or retest hypotheses as necessary

Major Characteristics of Scientific Approach L2

1. Empirical/Objective 2. Systematic/Explicit 3. Logical 4. Explanatory/Predictive 5. Self-critical/Self-correcting 6.Public

Las Capas Site, Tucson L4

1. Explosive Growth Development in the SW U.S: Archaeological discover of Formative Site in advance construction 2. Location of Site: Trenching in the alluvial floodplain of the Santa Cruz "River" to create version exposure of soil profiles, find Early Agricultural ( 2100 BC - AD 500 ) irrigation canals and small village buried by flood deposits. - Exposed flood deposits between 1000 - 900 BC. Trenching also exposed cultural deposits from the San Pedro Phase (1200 - 800 BC ) 3. Horizontal exposure through blading/stripping to reveal entire buried irrigation canal and field system. These canals and the associated field system dated to 1500-1200 BC. Oldest documented irrigation system in NA. People lived here practiced "formative" lifestyle based on agriculture --> Eventually lead to larger settlements, such as Hohokam sites. 4.Crops grown in Las Capas? Historic accounts of Hopi farming may provide clues. The Hopi grew melons and corn in mounded plots.

What was learned from the Great Basin? L3

1. Highest sight density were found in the dunes, but these were short term transient 2. Stone tool distributions also suggested wetland sites were short term camps 3. Some evidence of hunting in the mountains but no evidence of plant collecting

How do we document sites? L3

1. Mapping 2. Site Description 3. Inventory 4. Drawing 5. Photography 6. Collections

How did live in the Great Basin in the Past? L3 Wetland Model vs Broad Spectrum What is needed in a larger systematic regional survey? 1. Statistical Population 2. Sample Universe 3. Sample Fraction - Stratified Random Sample

1. Wetland Model: Wetlands provided an abundant and high quality food source. People should be settled here 2. Broad Spectrum: wetland resources are lower quality and harder to gather. Wetlands were only a part of the broader seasonal round that included upland resources. 3. To characterize the people and the area, need a larger systematic regional survey. - Statistical population: Set of counts, measurements, or characteristics about which inquiries are to be made. Ex: Observations made on stone tools - Sample Universe: The region that contains the statistical population that will be sampled. Determined by research questions and practical considerations. Example: Sample universe encompass desert and mountains. - Sample Fractions: Portion of the sample universe that will be representative of the sample universe or region. ( 1%, 5%, 10%, 50% ). Includes the stratified random sample: Divide universe into several sections that are sampled at different fractions.

Cultural Change L5

17th - 19th Centuries : Recognition that cultures change through time

Deflation L3

A geological process whereby fine sediment is blown away and larger items remain; this can create palimpsests

Law of Original Continuity L5

A natural deposit will end in a feathered edge ( if the edge of a stratigraphic layer is not a feather-edged its original context has been destroyed )

Sediments L5

Accumulations of weathered mineral materials deposited by water, wind, or glaciers

To achieve goals archaeologist must... L7

Analyze how artifacts and features fall into changing patterns over time and space aka Space Time Systematics.

Law of Horizontal Deposition L5

Any laterally deposited sediment in an unconsolidated form will tend toward the horizonal

Digging in Levels L4 Arbitrary Natural Stratigraphy

Arbitrary: Vertical subdivisions of an excavation square at set depths - Used when strata are lacking or very thin Natural Stratigraphy: The site's strategy that are visually separable from each other based on texture, color, rock or organic content. - Is better to dig in natural levels whenever possible

Systematic Context L5

Artifact in the living behavioral system. 4 dieting process that influence the creation of archaeological sites: - Cultural depositional processes ( discard, loss,caching,ritual internment ( AKA stuff we throw away whether by accident of on purpose )) - Recycling is scavenging ( artifacts moving back and forth between systemic and archaeological contexts ) - Reuse is artifacts moving through a series of reuses before entering the archaeological record - Cultural disturbance: Human behaviors that modify artifacts in their archaeological context

Archaeological Context L5

Artifacts that have left their systemic context and that are now part of a geologic system Natural Formation Processes ( N Transform) 1) Bioturbation: Physical rearrangement of strata by organisms, such as floralturbation and faunalturbation. Ex: krotovina - a soil discoloration and disturbance caused by infilled animal burrow 2) Cryoturbation: Freeze thaw cycles in soil 3) Argilliturbation: Shrink-swell clays 4) Graviturabation: Gravity caused disturbance ( artifacts washing down a slope )

Light Detection and Ranging L3

Bounces electromagnetic radiation (lasers) and measures the time it takes the pulses to be reflected back to recording instruments. Can "see" the ground surface below trees.

Wet Environment L4

Bronze Arge ( -3000 ya ) Must Farm in East Anglia ( Pompeii of Britan ), the peat bog "bog bodies" Tollund Man of Northern Europe around 8000 BC. Well preserved because: a) Lack oxygen ( anaerobic ) b) Stable temperature c) Minimal sunlight or warmth d) Minimal microorganism interaction e) Dry caves and rock shelters: Gatecliff Rock Shelter f) Minimal sunlight and warmth g) stable enviroment h) Can preserve organic material very well.

Changes in Sediments? L5

Caused by erosion and deposition. Sharp contacts indicate rapid burial events. Gradual change in color show soil development.

Geographic Information systems L3

Computer programs that store, retrieve, analyze, and display cartographic data. Consists of three components: - A computer graphics program - External Data Bases - Analytical tools GIS Data Base: Composed of several themes or layers and allows us to look at correspondence: 1. View Shed Analysis: Analyze what can be seen from a given point or area 2. Least Cost Path Analysis: - Analyzes the most cost or energy effective ( Least Cost ) path. Example: John Kantner and Chaco roads. The roads do not follow least cost paths.

Taphonomy L5

Concept from the study of how fossils form, and it is used in archaeology to describe site formation processes)

Post-Processualism ( History of Archaeology ) L1

Critique of scientific, processual approaches which lacked concern or attention towards alternative viewpoints, social dynamics of power, ideology, etc. More focused on humanities. Sees archaeology as political.

Law of Superposition ( Discussed with Nicolas Steno )

Discussed

Activity Area L6

Do clusters of artifacts reflect concentrations of human activity? Artifacts move, but sediments are less likely to be transported away - Activity areas are important for interpreting past human behavior at sites. this can provide insight into regular day-to-day life. - Scales: Large ( Structures and structured spaces ), medium (Types and distributions of features), small (types and distributions of artifacts), and smallest (organic and chemical traces, micro refuse and micromophology )

Type of Screening L4 ( 3 types )

Dry Screening: Deposit is laced in a screen, sediment is agitated, what remains in the sample Wet Screening: Deposits is placed in a screen, the sediment is washed away Flotation: Uses a fluid suspension to recover burned plant material and bone fragments from bulk dirt sample

What are excavations? L4

Experiments where you collect the data but destroy the "laboratory" Therefore, it is important to know what questions are being pursued and what methods are appropriate for answering those questions prior to excavating.

Goal of Anthropology? L2

Explanation

James Hutton L5

Father of Geologyand created Theory of the Earth ( AD 1788 )

Georges Curvier L5

Father of paleontology, advanced catastrophist theory. Catastrophist Theory: New creations occurred only after great catastrophes

Site Formation Processes L5

Formation Processes: How artifacts enter the archaeological record ( Coneptualized by Michael Schiffer) The archaeologist record is CONTEMPORARY evidence, influenced by both past and present cultural and natural processes

Case Study 32ME2 L6

Fort Clark Trading Post in North Dakota, a Mandan village. Domestic ritualshould leave detectable patterns. Based on ethnography, we might expect an entrance leading to a walled partition, a hearth with a sitting area, beds, and dormitories.Differences: stable, food preparation area with a mortar, and shrines/medicines/sacred objects.Multi-elemental geochemical analysis could patterns related to these areas. A central Okipa lodge would generally host ritual activities. Did ceremonial activities occur in domestic lodges? 1.Methods: magnetic gradiometer, massspectrometer (ICP-MS), and ethnohistoric and ethnographic data. Regularly spaced soil probes. Samples from these probes were compared against off-site control samples to examine enrichmentand depletion of different elements. 2.Several geochemical spikes indicatedifferent activity areas(e.g., iron concentrations and ochre). Activities probably included foodwaste,crafting, ritual, and hearth use.

Case Study- Gatecliff roch Shelter and Great Basin L3

Gatecliff Rock Shelter: Found through gumshoe archaeology ( asking locals for info) - Highly stratified (layered deposit), over 7000 years of human history - Lots of caches ( small storage features ) - Optimal Preservation: 1) Contained artifiacts that would not normally preserve in the archaeological record; duck decoys, nets, textiles, baskets. David Hurst Thomas Discovered IMPORTANT: Not representative of the WHOLE site. WHY? Because of Fallacy of the typical site.

The Great Basin L3

Geographic area of the Western United States encompassing portions of Utah, Nevada, California, Oregon and Idasho

Geoarchaeology and the macro level L6

Geomorphology: Study of landforms and landscapes and the processes which form them. we can understand how past landscapes formed. - Alluvial sediments and landforms: formed by flowing water. These landscapes are dynamic. Examples include river terraces, levees, deltas, and point bars. - Eolian Sediments and Landforms: Formed by wind. These landscapes are also very dynamic. Examples include dunes and sheets. - Colluvial sediments and landforms: Formed by gravity. Examples include landslides, and debris flows.

Archaeological Paradigms L2

Guidelines for how the world works and which variables are relevant - Processual: Founded in 1960s, focus is on scientific study of how material conditions ( environmental, technology, economics) drive cultural change through adaptation, examining evolutionary generalizations, culture viewed systematically ( Lewis Binford ) - Post Processual: Began in 1980s, focused on the humanistic study of uniqueness of past peoples and their experiences, focus on self-awareness ( specifically the biases and politics of archaeology), ideational, knowledge is historically situated, argues science is not objective ( Ian Hodder) - Processual- Plus: Began in the 200s0s, focus is on balancing scientific, and humanistic approaches to study the totality of how humans interact with their material culture ( Michelle Hegmon ) Thesis > Antithesis > Synthesis > Thesis

Maintaining control in excavation L4 Guiding Rule? Provenience? Provenance? Datum Point? Total Station?

Guiding Rule: Recover Context: 1. Context: The relationships among artifacts, ecofacts, features, and geological strata. 2. Provenience: An artifacts location relative to a system of spatial data collection: - In order to establish provenience, you need to establish a datum. - Datum Point: The Zero Point, a fixed reference used to keep control over the location of artifacts, feature, etc. on a dig; usually controls both the vertical and horizontal dimensions of provenience. Datums may be arbitrary or known relative to a global spatial system. - Often established with total stating ( Laser guided device ). - Total station: Produces x,y,z coordinates in order to locate every object in 3-D space. Can use data to create digital elevation models ( DEMs) - Provenience: Distince form proveance. Provenience is where an artifact is LOCATED. Provenance refers to where an item ORIGINATES.

Humanistic approaches in archaeology? L2 Humanistic Perspective

Humanistic Perspective: Because we study human, it stresses the uniqueness of each individual's and group's experiences - Not a pure science - Universal laws are not always applicable to all humans - Stress the importance of the individuals lived experience

Hypothesis, Theories, and Laws L2

Hypotheses: Educated guess based on observations/data Theory: Explanation based on related observations and supported by hypotheses and data; substantiated over and over again Law: Statement of fact ( NOT applicable to human behavior )

Approaches to the study of culture L2: 2 Perspectives Marvin Harris?

Ideational Perspective- ideas and symbols drive and shape human behavior. Adaptive/materialistic perspective - physical things ( technology, environment, and economics ) drive and shape human behavior. Behavior is associated with Marvin Harris: - Both perspectives can be applied using a scientific approach: 1) Potlach Example: Franz Boas studies Kwakiutl 2) How can the tribe be interpreted in ideational vs adaptive perspectives

High Elevation L4

La Doncella frozen Inca child, Argentina ( 500 ya.) and Otzi the Italian Alps ( 3300 BC ) a) Stable, cold temperature b) Minimal microorganisms c) Minimal sunlight and warmth

Regional ( Landscape) Archaeology L3

Looks at the distributions of archaeological sites across large areas. Focuses on the spatial relationship of sites to understand the ways in which people and groups were organized in the past. Technological Advances have increased our abilities to see sites on a regional scale and have improved our perceptions of the past These technologies allow us to work with land developers and planners to avoid sensitive or significant archaeological resources.

3 Levels of Archaeological Theory L2

Low-level: Generation of facts through observation. Observations are theoretical statements because they are based on 'why' questions. Middle-Level: Generation of interpretations of human behavior by linking archaeological data with the behaviors or natural processes that produced them High Level: Big questions regarding the human experience and major events in our history.

Three scales of analysis L6

Macro: Geomorphology Meso: Stratigraphy and site formation processes Micro: Soil Chemistry Analysis and micromorphology

Geoarchaeology at the micro-level L6

Micromorphology: The fine level structures or morphology of a mineral or soil that are visible through microscopy. Example includes Examination of fire at Wonderwerk Cave ( 1 - 1.5 mya), South Africa. Burned Bone was identified through infrared spectroscopy in micro morph thin section. Insight into activity areas and disturbance. Activity areas shed light on how individuals, household, and communities, organized social actives - Activity areas may be the scale of structures, features, or artifacts. We use micro morphology for scales smaller than these

Cultural Deposition L5

Midden: Cultural sediments (refuse deposits) containing food remain and/or artifacts Intrusive: When one stratigraphic layer intrudes into another, the la of association can be violated in these cases ( e.g. wall trench)

Archaeology Today ( History of Archaeology ) L1 New pragmatism? Focused on? Michelle Hegmon?

More diversity of viewpoints, more public, and more engaged. Focused on being more relevant to todays issues. Both scientific and humanistic. Michelle Hegmon called the Processual plus

How do archaeologist move from the present to the past? L5

Must understand site formation proccesses

Fallacy of the typical site L3

No site is a typical site of the entire settlement system

Soils L6

Not synonymous with sediment. There are a special form of sediment, formed by sediments weathering/altering in a place. Weather profiles of soils are formed in place from physical and chemical alteration Soils are a function of climate, plants/animals, topography, parent material, and time Peleosols were soils formed in the past, but have been subsequently buried by later deposits Soils are made up A,B,C horizons. The A horizon is organically enriched and sits at the top of the profile. Clays accumulate clays and become enriched through water transport, creating the B horizon. The C horizon is unaltered parent material (sediment) at the base

Archaeological Data? L2

Observations made on the archaeological record and associated objects

Why is archaeology controversial? L1

People use the past to justify present actions ( heritage and human rights, political uses of the past, lessons from past/policy). Examples include Timbuktu and Palmyra, The right to culture-culture is a human right.

4 Phases of Excavation ( Not all archaeological projects go through all phases ): L4 Phase 1 - Trenching Phase 2 - Stripping or Blading Phase 3 - Test Excavations - Auger Testing Phase 4 - Full Scale Investigation

Phase 1: Locating - Trenching: Used in areas where sites are widely distributed and difficult to to provide vertical exposure. Drawback: Some damage is unavoidable but can be minimized Phase 2: Exposing - Stripping or blading: Used to remove culturally sterile overburden to get to underlying archaeological materials Phase 3: testing ( Vertical- diachronic ( i.e Time Sensitive ) 1. Test Excavations: Digging of vertical units or square pits to sample contents and depth and Ain chronological control. Benefit: Helps determine what areas of interest before committing resources to a more intensive study. 2. Auger testing: Using a bucket auger, a specialized post hole digger, to retrieve sediments and artifacts in 10-20 cm increments. Benefit: Define site boundaries and plan excavations with minimal damage and cost Phase 4: Data recovery ( Horizontal- Synchronic ( i.e all the same time, extensive ) 1. Full Scale archaeological investigation designed to expose buried features horizontally and realize the site's research potential through excavation.

Anthropology vs Archaeology L2 Philip Phillips? Anthropological Approach? Four Fields? As a part of anthropology?

Philip Phillips: "Archaeology is anthropology or it is nothing" - Anthropological Approach: Global, Comparative, Integrative, and Holistic - Archaeology as a part of anthropology: Culture unites all subdisciplines- culture is learned, shared ( enculturation ), and symbolic; non-biological adaptation; provides tools for coping with physical/social environments

Soil Chemistry (Geochemical) AnalysisL6

Phosphorous (P) enrichment can serve as evidence for human activity - Modern Studies rely more on multi-elemental geochemical analysis. (e.g Viking Age House in Iceland) These are integrated into mutimethod datasets. For example, multi-element analyses may be combined with micromorphology. - Soil Chemistry can help archaeologist detect patterned behavior, including religious and non-religious ritual. Ritual isn't just about belief: It is behavior and is not just about special places or objects. 1. Ritual is often framed in dichotomies, such as belieg/behavior, nonutilitarian/utilitarian, scared (distint from everyday world)/ profane ( Part of everyday world) 2. Domestic ritual is ritual done as a part of everyday practice, often in someone's home. it leaves carried traces of ritual. behaviors, objects, and deposits in the archaeological record.

Archaeological Prospecting and Landscape Archaeology L3 Aerial Photography? - Shadow Marks - Crop Marks Liabilities?

Remote Sensing ( Photographic vs Geophysical ) - Aerial: From the sky - Highlights features that are too indicting or too large to discern from the ground: - Shadow marks: Caused by small variations in the topography which create shadows early or late in the day - Crop marks: Formed by variations in the subsoil. Caused by buried archaeological features that lead to differential plant growth. Liabilities: Daylight, atmospheric haze, and weather

The Life History Objects L5

Sequence of interactions and actives that an object goes through during its existence of "lifetime" ( LaMotta and Schiffer 2001 ) Procurement -> Manufactur -> use and maintenance, reuse, recycling-> discard-> archaeological record ( DRAW PPT on FLOWCHART GUYS )

Systematic Regional Survey L3

Set of strategies for drawing an accurate description of the range of archaeological material across a landscape. Ultimate goal: To create a picture of the regional site distributions that is minimally biased ( Good representation ) Suface Survey vs Sub-Surface Survey augering/shovel testing Tools may include: Camera, GPS, and Measurement instruments: Goal Documentation

Sediment L6

Solid, inorganic, and organic particles; accumulated or precipitated by human or natural processes. Natural sediments include: 1. Clastic: Deposited by wind, water, or gravity 2. Chemical precipitates 3. Organic 4. Pyroclastic Sediments of other sizes can also be included. Different class sizes require different levels of energy for transport and they move different distances from their source areas

Law of Association L5

States if two objects or classes of objects are constantly found together, the two objects were probably in the same time in the same cultural context

Stratigraphy L5

Stratigraphy is the study of cultural and/or geological layers (strata). Layers of sediment makeup archaeological sites, and archaeologist use law of superposition to help interpret spatial and temporal context of objects.

Geologic Time L5 Epoch and Periods?

System of chronological measurement that relates stratigraphy to time. Era or Eon: Major division of time. Divided into period and epochs. 1. Cenozoic Era ( 65 mya to present ) 2. Quaternary Period (1.8 may to present) 3.Pleistocene Epoch (1.8 mya to 12000 yrs ago) 4.Holoscene Epoch (12000 yrs ago to present)

Geoarchaeology L6

The application of geosciences concepts and methods to archaeological research. Geology + Archaeology = Geoarchaeology

What Is Science? L2

The knowledge we generate is continually evolving because science is self-critical. Finding change in response to new evidence, not on a whim

Anthropology ( Traditional Definition ) L1

The study of the human past, combining themes of time and change.

Christian J Thomsen ( AD 1836) L5

Three age system. First example of relative dating in archaeology.

Case Study: Micromorphology at Mt. Lykalon Greece L6

Thysia, an Ancient Greek ritual scarafices, Temenos, ritual sanctuary Ash altars are features that relate to the past Greek ritual and religion. Ritual is pattered behavior that may leave material traces behind, including within sediments. Micromophology of ash altars can shed light on pattered behaviors. This approach revealed that the most of the ash deposits were not composed of natural sediments Life history model for ash at Mt. Lykaion. The ash altars are anthrosols/osteosols. The were composed of bone,ash, and charcoal, as visible in micomorph thin sections ( an "osteosol".) The deposits provided evidence for repeated ritual behavior from the Mycenaen Period to the Classical period. Post-depositional mixing has disrupted the original stratigraphy.

Goals L7

To explain patterns through: Cataloging: Artifacts and specimens are documented and assigned a Provenience. These are generally placed into groups based on material type. Classification: Driven by specific research questions. It is the action or process of grouping things according to their shared qualities or characteristics. Topology: Arrangement of

Goal of Archaeology L7

To reconstruct and explain the past: What did people do and why? Strength: Focus on mega-patterns of human behavior over vast reaches of space and time.

GPS L3

Triangulates spatial position from satellite signals

Geophysical L3 GPR? Electrical Resistivity? Proton Magnetometry?

Under the ground and rely on electromagnetic energy to detect and measure characteristics of archaeological targets without distributing the ground. Benefits include: Rapid and non-destructive, cost effective, and helps set priorities: 1. Ground penetrating Radar: A radar directed in the ground reflected back to the surface when they strike features and interfaces. - Measure changes in conductivity 2. Electrical Resistivity: Monitors the electrical resistance of soils in a restricted volume near the surface of an archaeological sight: - Measures the flow of electrical current - Dense Features impede the flow of electricity 3. Proton Magnetometry: - Measures the strength of magnetism between the earth's magnetic core and sensors controlled by the archaeologist - Detects changes in magnetic properties of the soil

Pompeii ( Excavations in different preservation context ) L4

Volcanic ash from Mount Vesuvius ( AD 79) covered and preserved sight

Soils L5

Weathered sediments and rocks capable of supporting plant life. A Horizon sits just below the surface ( A Horizon sites over a B Horizon over a C Horizon ). Paleosol: Bruied Soil

Preservation Context L4 Depositional Environment Ideal Conditions

Whether something preserves depends on: - Physical properties of the object - Depositional Environment Depositional Environment: Decomposition: Carried out by microorganisms that require warmth, oxygen, and water Attrition: Occurs as the result of physical abrasion or movement Exposure: To the elements will cause objects to weather over time ( hot-cold, wet-dry, UV light, etc ) Ideal Conditions: 1. Rapid Burial and Stable Conditions 2. Lacking one or more of the following: a) Microorganisms b) Oxygen c) Extremes in temperature d) Sunlight and warmth - Carbonization - Chemicals

Charles Lyell L5

Wrote Principles of Geology ( AD 1830 ) popularized uniformitarianism. Uniformitarianism: Same natural laws and processes that operate in the universe now have always operated in the universe in the past and apply everywhere in the universe

Inductive vs Deductive Reasoning? L2

inductive reasoning- reasoning from the specific to the general, forming concepts about all members of a category based on some members. deductive reasoning- reasoning from the general to the specific.

Site formation processes L5

ways in which human behaviors and natural actions operate to produce the archaeological record. - N- transforms ( natural formation processes ) and C-transforms (cultural formation processes )