Copy of Lab 3 - Artifacts_ What Are They Good For_

ARCH 2800 - Archaeological Science Dr. Kara Fulton Lab 3 - Artifacts: What Are They Good For? 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. The Archaeological Record Despite what is shown in movies and on TV, most archaeological finds are not golden treasures or priceless pieces of antiquity. Most are items that were used on a regular basis and then discarded due to wear, damage, or loss. We tend to think of archaeologists as primarily studying objects made by humans ( artifacts ), but there is much more to archaeological investigations. Archaeologists are most concerned with context —how an artifact or other type of archaeological data was found in relation to everything else at the archaeological site . A site is a distinct clustering of artifacts in a location that demonstrates human activity, and the number of artifacts needed to qualify a location as a site varies based on the context and, at times, excavation funding. An artifact’s context includes its provenience , exactly where the object was found (horizontally and vertically) in the site; its association in terms of its relationship and positioning with other objects; and the matrix of natural materials such as sediments surrounding and enclosing the object in place. When a site is looted or excavated by amateurs, the context of the artifact is lost even if the artifact is left behind. Excavation strips the site of much of its most important information, components that tell a fuller story of the object and the site, leaving behind an item with no story left to tell. Ideally, items found during an excavation are left in situ , which is Latin for “still,” meaning they are in their original place of deposition. This is why archaeologists tell you to leave any item you find, especially on public land, untouched no matter how tempting it is to pick it up, look at it, and put it in your pocket to show your archaeology professor! As previously discussed, artifacts are objects that were used, modified, or made by people. They are also defined as portable and could have been carried by humans from place to place. Common examples of archaeological artifacts are projectile points (some points, but not all of them, are arrowheads), ceramic pots, baskets, nails, and glass bottles. Of course, there is a natural preference for complete artifacts since many objects at sites were discarded and were broken before being found, entering the archaeological record because they were thrown in the trash. As a discipline, however, archaeology must analyze all types of artifacts to get the most complete

ARCH 2800 - Archaeological Science picture of human occupation and behavior. It is also easy to miss single-use artifacts such as a rock used to pound a tent stake in place because no one packed a hammer or mallet. Archaeologists spend much of their time thinking about and analyzing artifacts because the items were made or used by humans and correlate directly to human behavior. Thus, many features of artifacts can be analyzed, such as the material from which they were made, their artistic or functional style, and their design. Archaeologists also create typologies , which provide a way to understand how an artifact such as a pot changed over time in shape, form, and use. Typologies also provide useful estimates of the period in which the artifacts were made. Besides artifacts, archaeological sites provide ecofacts : organic and environmental remains such as animal bones, plant remains, and soils that occur at archaeological sites but were not made, modified, or used by humans. Ecofacts can reveal much about human behavior. For example, plant and animal remains can allow archaeologists to reconstruct the environment when humans lived there, effectively telling researchers what types of plants or animals would have been available for humans to use. A feature is an artifact such as a hearth, storage pit, midden (trash pile), house, or other structure that is not portable. Together, all of these pieces of evidence observed at and collected from an archeological site make up an assemblage . Artifacts Around You Q1. An artifact is anything that was made, modified, or used by humans in the past. Consider objects that would normally be in a classroom. Choose three different classroom objects/artifacts and list them in the table below. Then, as a team, describe each object using as many observations as you can - pretend that you don’t know what the object is or used for. Stick to the physical features of the object, elements of its design, and possible traces of wear or residue that can provide clues about how it was used. Next, make one inference about each object using the observations you listed - again, pretend that you don’t know what the object is used for. Your team doesn’t need to use all your listed observations, but you should use more than one to directly support your inference. Your goal here is to determine what an archaeologist might be able to tell about each object or how it was used from its properties and attributes. Note : Remember, in an archaeological context, we wouldn’t necessarily know what the object is or what it was used for. Do not use the example. Object / artifact Observations Describe the object (physical features, properties, attributes, etc.) Inference What can we tell about how the object was used from its description? (in 2-3 sentences) Example: pencil ● A wooden, hexagonal prism that is about 5 inches long and a centimeter wide. ● Running through the center of the Based on these properties, an archaeologist could tell that this object may have been used to mark on other objects.

ARCH 2800 - Archaeological Science Q3. Now, think about a space that you consider “yours” - that could be your bedroom, office, kitchen, car, anywhere that you spend large amounts of time and has objects personal to you. Now, imagine you’re a future archaeologist from another planet who knows very little about earth or earth culture. What objects in this space could tell this archaeologist about your daily life? What would the archaeologist be able to interpret about your specific cultural behaviors (language, dress, political or religious beliefs, etc.) from the things you own and in the absence of being able to talk to you? Be sure to describe observations of the items, their locations, and what could be inferred from them and why. Would anything important about you not be apparent? Choose two team member’s spaces (not the same type of space - e.g., do not choose two bedrooms) to discuss in the table below. Work together to complete a row for each space. Important : Remember, archaeologists can’t see or talk to the people they study. The people they study lived in the past and are gone by the time archaeologists study them. Archaeologists cannot directly observe past behavior - they can only infer it based on observations. Do not use the example. Location / Living Space Objects / artifacts What could these objects tell an archaeologist about your daily life? Why? (in 2-3 sentences) What about you is not apparent from objects in this space? Why? (in 2-3 sentences) Example: bedroom ● Flute ● Paper with musical notes on it ● Music stand ● Book titled “How to Play the Flute” An archaeologist could infer that the person who lived in this room played a musical instrument. If the flute itself was an unknown object, the archaeologist could infer it was a musical instrument because when air is blown through the metal tube, it makes a sound and moving the buttons along its length changes the pitch of the sound. This, in connection to the context of being found with other known music- related paraphernalia (paper, stand) would support that it’s a musical instrument. What would not be apparent based on these objects, is how often the person played the instrument or how good they were at playing it. There aren’t any objects that would suggest a playing schedule (such as a calendar with practice times) or skill level (such as trophies). 1. 2.

ARCH 2800 - Archaeological Science Q4. Closely examine the photo of the modern room below. As a team, list as many observations about the room as you can. Then, discuss these observations as a team and make at least two inferences about the occupant(s) of the room using the observations you listed. Be sure to explicitly connect specific observations to each inference. Observations (as many as you can) Inferences (at least two) Use this format: “Based on observations # (list the numbers), we infer (state your inference).” 1. 2. 3. 4. 1. 2.