Methods How do we find the data necessary to make confident Site Methods Why Archaeology Objects from past o Understand lives from the past Look at o Distribution of sites o Distribution within sites Depends on the goal of the research inferences about the past o CONTEXT o Four phases Survey Testing Excavation recovery Analysis Types of Archaeology Traditional Archaeology Underwater Archaeology Site preservation Causes bias o Not everything preserves o Post depositional processes Once on in earth natural processes occur o Volcanic ash silt avalanche What preserves Stone tools Pottery Building and parts of buildings Organic remains Site formation Combination of o Geological deposits Sterile layers soil Anthropogenic deposits o Look for anthropogenic Depositional units Areas where things are piled together Middens trash What to look for Features o An immovable structure or layer in the ground of significance Primary refuse Secondary refuse o Items left exactly where they fell by ancient people o Items placed in a location which removed them from vicinity of living quarters o Trash heap midden Survey Map physical remains of human activity Site survey o Surface survey o Global positioning system GPS o Geophysical techniques Ground penetrating radar o Geographic Information Systems GIS Consolidates geographical images Need points of reference total station Overly images o The point Patterns in the area The site in reference to topography rivers mountains soil types etc Best chance to find a site Testing and Sampling Cannot excavate everything How to decide o Random sampling o Little bias involved Test pits Processual archaeology based on sampling and probability o Find representative sample o Apply statistics Excavate set up Construct units o Placement based in sampling and survey o Size depends on goal 2x2 4x4 4x6 etc o Orient direction Vertical horizontal o See all layers for history o looking for specific layer or time Excavation Stratigraphy o Strata o Law of superposition o Not always so straightforward Levels Burials o Extend if necessary o Start with arbitrary o Look for cultural Soil types taponomy Harris matrix Recording and Recovery Record map measure everything o Grid o Datum point Size depends on site and question Reference point for depth of site In situ Provenience Open more extend units if necessary Dig o Backhoes shovels trowels pick axe dental picks Screen dirt o Wet screening o Floatation All depends on the question Always keep context o Without context cant be studied Archaeology is destructive cant put it back Analysis Lab analysis o Sort material o Artifacts Human modified objects Lithic ceramic metallurgy o Eco facts Biological organisms or geologic processes Seeds faunal human skeleton Counting large numbers of recovered materials o Quantification Artifacts o Classify objects Major categories o Typology Artifact type Change over time o Attribute Characteristics Material shape color size Stone Artifacts o Cutting projectile o Inferring behavior Morphology Function and style Wear Experimental replication Ceramic artifacts o Function and style o Materials and migration o Residue from cooking Ceremonial artifacts o Within burials Social status differences o Customs Eco facts o Establish patterns Bones NISP Number of species present o Complete specimens MNI Minimum number of individuals o Number of individuals complete or not Faunal information Seasonality Domesticated vs wild Skeletal Remains o Demography Age sex breakdown Sex determination Pelvis Functional differences Skull o Diet o Disease o Health o Stress o Migration o Affinity Biological relationships o Trauma o Cultural modification Cranial binding Jade tooth inlay Putting pieces together Patterns of past o Migration o Cultural connections o Subsistence Social construction