Archaeology Vocabulary

Get ready to dig…Like in the DIRT!!

archaeology

• The study of past civilizations by examining artifacts and other remains

anthropology

• The study of human beings and their culture

paleoanthropology

• The study of prehistoric human beings and how they lived

geology

• The study of the earth and its composition

history• A record of what happened in the past,

or an explanation of the past

prehistory

• History BEFORE the invention of writing (adj. prehistoric)

primary source

• A source produced during the same time period as it describes; a firsthand or eyewitness account

secondary source

• A source produced at a later date by those studying primary sources

artifact

• An object that was made by humans and that is of archaeological importance

fossil

• The remains or imprint of a plant or animal from a past age

oral tradition

• History that is passed down by word of mouth, or storytelling

cultural diffusion

• The spreading of ideas from one group of people to another

excavation

• The act of digging out a site by removing dirt; can also refer to the site itself

(verb excavate)

stratum• A layer of the earth, especially in an

archaeological dig

stratigraphy• The act of removing one stratum at a

time, especially in looking for artifacts

“in situ”

• “in the place” where an artifact was found

chronological order• In order of time, from earliest to latest

dating

• The act of determining when an artifact or fossil was made; there are many methods of dating an object

radiocarbon dating

• Determining the date of an object by measuring the amount of carbon decay