Copy of Lab 4 - How Do Archaeologists Know How Old Something Is_ (Part 1)

ARCH 2800 - Archaeological Science Dr. Kara Fulton Lab 4 - How Do Archaeologists Know How Old Something Is? (Part 1) Your Team Name: Your Team Motto: Remember: this is a team assignment, so anything you write here should be the voice of the team (i.e., use “we” NOT “I”) Tip: As you read through the introductory material in this lab, highlight important information as you go. Resource : How to Use a Highlighter to Improve Your Grades. Superposition and Stratigraphy The principle of superposition tells us that strata or layers are deposited in sequence from bottom to top and that the sequence represents progress across time. Stratigraphy is the sequence of strata. Illustrations of the sequence of strata, like the one below in Figure 1, are called stratigraphic profiles . Association is the relationship between artifacts based on their proximity or location to one another. We use superposition to associate all the artifacts found within a stratum as being of the same age. Artifacts in the layer above are younger; artifacts in the stratum below are older. So, you’re observing where in the stratigraphic profile an artifact is located (higher/lower), and you’re inferring relative ages (younger/older). The examples of stratigraphic profiles in the readings and videos were fairly simple, like layered cakes, one stratum on top of the other. However, archaeological sites often have lots of “intrusions” into the strata because it is common for people to dig holes in the ground (e.g., postholes, fire pits, latrines or outhouses, burials, etc.). For example, in the profile in Figure 1, F is some sort of pit dug into Stratum C, while E is a deeper pit dug down into Strata G and A. B is likely an animal burrow that is going perpendicular to the profile, so the burrow goes into the wall - it was dug into Stratum E. Figure 1. Example of a stratigraphic profile drawing. The sequence of strata for the stratigraphic profile in Figure 1, from oldest to youngest, is as follows:

ARCH 2800 - Archaeological Science Oldest C - F - A - D - G - E - B Youngest Any artifacts that were found in Stratum F are older than those in A, which are older than those found in Stratum D, and so on. The Scenario The provided illustration below represents an idealized stratigraphic profile in which there are several strata (layers), four burials, seven ceramic vessels, and the remains of one masonry structure. With reference to the illustration, answer the questions that follow.

ARCH 2800 - Archaeological Science Q2. Is it possible to determine which ceramic vessel is the most recent of Vessel 4, 5, or 6? If so, which is most recent & why? If not, why not? Explicitly state what your observations and inferences are (e.g., “Based on our observations of [insert your specific observations ]…. we infer that… [insert your specific inferences that connect to your observations]”). Q3. Is it possible to determine which ceramic vessel is the oldest of Vessel 1, 2, 6, or 7? If so, which is the oldest & why? If not, why not? Explicitly state what your observations and inferences are (e.g., “Based on our observations of [insert your specific observations ]…. we infer that… [insert your specific inferences that connect to your observations]”). Q4. Which is older, Burial Y or Vessel 3? Explain your answer. Explicitly state what your observations and inferences are (e.g., “Based on our observations of [insert your specific observations ]…. we infer that… [insert your specific inferences that connect to your observations]”). Q5. Was the brick structure built before or after Burial Y was placed? Explain your answer. Explicitly state what your observations and inferences are (e.g., “Based on our observations of [insert your specific observations ]…. we infer that… [insert your specific inferences that connect to your observations]”). Artifact Seriation Patterns of human behavior change constantly. As behavior changes, so do its material products. In certain cases, artifact styles can be used to construct relative chronologies by studying how styles gradually become more frequent, then lose frequency and are finally replaced by a new style. In archaeology, arranging artifacts into stylistic and chronological order based on attributes or style is referred to as seriation . Seriation is based on the fact that a cultural trait, like the type of jeans worn by teens, experiences frequency peaks - in other words, an artifacts’ frequency rises to a high point and then trails off, sometimes even to extinction. This rising or fading of frequency may be rapid, while other times it may be gradual. Styles of music, dancing, fashion,

ARCH 2800 - Archaeological Science and forms of speech all demonstrate this kind of frequency curve. There are two types of seriation: ● Stylistic seriation – arranging artifact types according to their stylistic similarities based on the assumption that decorative elements and form change slowly over time. ● Frequency seriation – arranging artifacts based on frequencies, assuming that styles gradually become more frequent and then fade out (forming a battleship curve). Figure 2. Example of a bottle type frequency seriation. The Scenario You are an archaeologist studying colonial sites in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. You’re currently interested in understanding change in form over time. These changes in form include the material used to make the ceramics, the glazes used, and the decoration applied. You have identified three major ceramic types (also see Figure 3 and Table 1): ● Delftware : The earliest ceramic remains found at sites in the Mid-Atlantic are soft- bodied and colorfully hand-painted bowls and plates called Delftware. Delftware ceramics have a pale blue cast to them due to their tin enamel finish. ● Creamware : Later, a hard-bodied clay ceramic called Creamware develops. Creamware items are often plain but sometimes have hand-painted blue, brown and black decoration. Creamware items have a yellowish cast produced by the glazes used to make them. ● Pearlware : After a few decades, still newer glazes were produced for ceramics along

ARCH 2800 - Archaeological Science Ceramic Type Pearlware x xxxx xxxxx xxxxxx Creamware xxxxx xxx xx Delftware xxxxx xx x You are analyzing 7 undated sites (Sites A-G) located across the state of Maryland. First, you need to identify the frequency of ceramic types for these sites. Q6. The following dataset of archaeological ceramics provides the number of pieces (sherds) of each type of pottery found in assemblages from the 7 sites. Calculate the relative frequency of each pottery style present in the assemblages (rows). For example, Site A contains 126 pottery sherds and 63 of them are Delftware. To determine the relative frequency of the Delftware sherds, you divide 63 by 126, then multiply by 100 (63/126 = 0.50 x 100 = 50%). If your result includes a decimal (e.g., 50.2%), round the frequencies to the nearest whole number . Write the frequencies in the spaces provided to the right of the numbers in the cells. Ceramics Type Present Total Ceramics Present Site Geographical Location Delftware Creamware Pearlware # % # % # % A Tidewater 63 50% 50 13 126 B Coastal Edge 186 21 0 207 C Mountains 0 0 98 98 D Mountains 0 52 78 130 E Piedmont 20 120 60 200 F Mountains 0 22 88 110 G Tidewater 102 44 0 146 Your next step in analysis is to group the sites in a chronological sequence using seriation.

ARCH 2800 - Archaeological Science Q7. Construct a chronological sequence for the seven Maryland sites in the table below, ordering the sites from most recent/youngest (top) to oldest (bottom). The youngest site has been placed for you. Note: Be sure to include your frequencies from the previous table - it will help with interpretation. Ceramics Present Site Geographical Location Delftware Creamware Pearlware youngest C Mountains 0% 0% 100% oldest Q8. Based on your observations, make one inference about the people that lived in colonial Maryland. Explicitly state what your observations and inferences are (e.g., “Based on our observations of [insert your specific observations ]…. we infer that… [insert your specific inferences that connect to your observations]”). Q9. How could you explain why the ceramic type used by people in this area changed over time?