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Homework 1 APY 108 Intro to Archaeology Fall 2024 DUE THURSDAY OCTOBER 10th 2024 BY 11 59PM 20 Instructions Using the image below answer the following questions on the interpretation of archaeological stratigraphy to the best of your ability Use the text boxes to type in your answers It is important that you justify your answers in 1 or 2 sentences by using the laws of superposition and of association and in some cases by referencing the limitations of radiocarbon dating for each question you receive 1 point for the correct answer and 1 point for the explanation Layers are labeled with capital letters Features are labeled by their description e g posthole wall ash layer etc Layers Features A B C D E F G H I Wall 1 Wall 2 Wall 3 Pit 1 Pit 2 Ash Layer 1 Ash Layer 2 Collapsed Roof Living Floor Post Hole Questions 1 Which is the youngest FEATURE Explain your choice Layer I because the law of superposition dictates that higher layers are younger 2 Which is the oldest LAYER Explain your choice Layer A because the law of superposition dictates that lower levels are older 3 Which is older Pit 1 or Layer F How do you know Pit one is older because of the law of association 4 Could the fire which resulted in the formation of Ash Layer 2 also be responsible for the collapsed roof Explain your answer using the law of superposition No because Ash layer 2 is on a higher level than the collapsed roof The law of superposition dictates that younger layers are higher than older layers 5 You find pottery in Pit 1 Can radiocarbon dating be used to determine its absolute age Why or why not Justify your answer by keeping in mind the limitations of radiocarbon dating In a way yes by radiocarbon dating the ash layer 2 and using the law of association you can find the age of the pottery because the law of association dictates that artifacts found in the same layer are around the same age 6 Which is older Pit 2 or the Post Hole Is it possible to determine based on their stratigraphic relationship i e relative chronology alone What other information might be needed It isn t possible to determine which is older based on their stratigraphic relationship because of the law of association You would need other information such as radiocarbon dates 7 Which is older Wall 3 or Layer C How might you explain the fact that Wall 3 is partially embedded in Layer C Note there is more than one possible explanation given the evidence Wall 3 and layer C are around the same age because of the law of association Wall 3 could be imbedded in layer C because it was constructed while layer C was forming and abandoned before the layer was complete 8 You find a piece of charcoal and an animal bone in the Post Hole What absolute dating method would you use to determine their calendar age Which would give the most accurate date for the Post Hole the charcoal or the animal bone Justify your answer using the limitations of radiocarbon dating AND the law of association There is more than one possible justification Use radiocarbon dating to determine their calendar age Because the charcoal has more carbon in it it would give a more exact date and by using the law of superposition you can also find the date of the post hole 9 Might Wall 2 be related to the debris visible in Layer G Why or why not What might be their relation to Ash Layer 1 Wall 2 might be related to both the debris in layer G and ash layer 1 due to the law of association 10 Which came first Layer I or Layer A Explain your answer Layer A came first due to the law of superposition which dictates the newest layers are at the top and the oldest layers are at the bottom


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UB APY 108 - Homework 1

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