General archaeology

General archaeology

Terms and definitions of archaeology -- the study of human society through the analysis of artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes.

Industry: Archaeology

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General archaeology

Electron spin resonance (ESR)

Archaeology; General archaeology

A chronometric dating technique based upon the behaviour of electrons in crystals exposed to naturally occurring radioactivity; used to date limestone, coral, shell, teeth, and other materials. ...

Taphonomy

Archaeology; General archaeology

The study of processes which have affected organic materials such as bone after death; it also involves the microscopic analysis of tooth-marks or cut marks to assess the effects of butchery or ...

A non-statistical sampling strategy (in contrast to probabilistic sampling) which concentrates on sampling areas on the basis of intuition, historical documentation, or long field experience in the ...

Functionalism

Archaeology; General archaeology

The theory that all elements of a culture are functional in that they serve to satisfy culturally defined needs of the people in that society or requirements of the society as a whole.

Palaeolithic

Archaeology; General archaeology

The archaeological period before c. 10,000 BC, characterised by the earliest known stone tool manufacture.

Analogy

Archaeology; General archaeology

A process of reasoning whereby two entities that share some similarities are assumed to share many others.

Attribute

Archaeology; General archaeology

A minimal characteristic of an artefact such that it cannot be further subdivided; attributes commonly studied include aspects of form, style, decoration, color, and raw material.