Artifact
An object made by humans that is of archaeological or historical interest
Archaeology
The recovery and study of very old artifacts such as buildings, pottery and tools
Excavation
The organized process of digging up remains
BCE
Before Common Era- Anything before year 1
CE
Common Era- Anything after year 1
Kitchen Midden
Ancient people's rubbish that is studied by archaeologists. Helps archaeologists learn about ancient people's diet, daily activity, and contact with other cultures.
Prehistory
History before the development of writing
Fossils
The remains of once living plants or animals
Oral Tradition
The legends, beliefs and traditions passed on by word of mouth from generation to generation
Geographer
an expert who studies and creates maps of Earth's natural and human-made features
Historian
an expert who studies and records the past
Archaeologist
an expert who studies the past by examining objects that people have left behind
Stratigraphy
the study of the remains that are found in various layers of soil and rock
Cultural dating
when archaeologists compare new objects they find with information they already have to determine the age of an artifact
Absolute dating
when an archaeologist can determine the age in years of an artifact
Radiocarbon dating
a form of scientific dating where archaeologists measure the amount of radioactive carbon left in once-living things like bones and wood
Relative dating
when archaeologists can only find out whether an artifact is older or newer than something else
Scientific dating
when archaeologists analyze artifacts in a laboratory to find their age. The oldest form is called dendrochronology
Primary Source
any piece of information that was created by someone who witnessed first hand or was part of the historical events that are being described
Secondary Source
something that was created later by someone who did not experience first-hand or participate in the events
Classic archaeology
Old way of thinking where archaeologists sought artifacts that could be sold for money, and not artifacts that could tell us about our past
Modern archaeology
Modern way of thinking where archaeologists search to understand the lives of all people from the past
Dendrochronology
The process of counting tree rings and comparing tree ring patterns to determine the age of a tree or wooden artifact
Fact
A statement that can be proven
Inference
A statement that is based on fact, but is not proven
Opinion
A statement of personal preference, feelings or ideas