Archaeological Fundamentals
This is the study of human history and prehistory through the excavation of sites and the analysis of artifacts and other physical remains.
What is Archaeology?
This German archaeologist is famous for excavating the site of Troy and claiming to have found "Priam's Treasure."
Who is Heinrich Schliemann?
The principle that states that in an undisturbed sequence of layers, the oldest layer is at the bottom and the newest is at the top.
What is the Law of Superposition?
This term describes the transition from nomadic hunting and gathering to settled agricultural life.
What is the Neolithic Revolution?
The name of the ancient mound in Turkey that is one of the earliest known cities, famous for its densely packed housing.
What is Çatalhöyük?
The term for a portable object made, used, or modified by humans.
What is an Artifact?
These controversial sculptures were removed from the Parthenon in Athens in the early 19th century and are now housed in the British Museum, sparking a major debate over cultural heritage.
What are the Elgin Marbles?
The term for biological remains found at a site, such as pollen, seeds, or animal bones, that provide information about the environment.
What is an Ecofact?
This is the process of genetically modifying plants and animals for human use.
What is Domestication?
A form of social and political organization where a central authority governs a large, stratified population, such as ancient Rome or Egypt.
What are State-level societies?
This is the non-portable result of human activity, such as a hearth, a wall, or a burial pit.
What is a Feature?
The British archaeologist who discovered the intact tomb of Tutankhamun in Egypt.
Who is Howard Carter?
This refers to the relationship between artifacts, features, and other materials at a site; if they are found together, they are said to be in this.
What is Association?
A term for the shift from small villages to complex urban centers with a division of labor.
What is the Urban Revolution?
A form of social and political organization that is not yet a state, characterized by smaller-scale societies like tribes or chiefdoms.
What are Pre-state Societies?
The three-dimensional location of an artifact, feature, or ecofact in the ground, also known as provenience.
What is Archaeological Context?
The name of the Inca citadel in Peru "discovered" by Hiram Bingham.
What is Machu Picchu?
A term for a group of artifacts that were deliberately buried together, often for safekeeping.
What are Caches?
The idea proposed by V. Gordon Childe that societal change occurred in abrupt, revolutionary steps, such as the Neolithic and Urban Revolutions.
What is Unilinear Cultural Evolution?
This region in the Middle East is known as the "cradle of civilization" and is where agriculture first emerged.
What is the Fertile Crescent?
A specialized tool of archaeology used to systematically remove layers of soil to reveal buried remains.
What is Excavation?
This British expatriate who lived in Turkey was the first to identify the site of Hisarlik as the likely location of ancient Troy, but his contributions were largely overshadowed by Schliemann.
Who is Frank Calvert?
The practice of finding and removing artifacts from archaeological sites for personal gain, which destroys valuable context.
What is Looting?
This theory, in contrast to unilinear evolution, suggests that different societies evolve along different pathways depending on their unique environmental and social conditions.
What is Multilinear Cultural Evolution?
The three domains of this concept—economic, social, and ideological—are considered key to the formation of states.
What is Power?