Archaeology RQ Chapter 4

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Archaeology Reading Questions Chapter 4 1) What does provenience mean? Provenience – an artifact’s location relative to a system of spatial data collection 2) Briefly describe the Folsom site and its importance in archaeology. The Folsom site and the distinctive spear points found there called Folsom points are both named after the nearby town that had been devastated by the flood that exposed the site. Ancient bison bones were also found at the site. For the first time scientists had confirmed the physical association between extinct fauna and human artifacts – people had been in the Americas since at least the end of the Pleistocene, some 10,000 years ago. 3) Briefly describe the preservation at Lovelock Cave, Ozette, and for Oetzi. Lovelock Cave was first excavated in 1912 and again in 1924 and several caches of gear, including a buried basket that contained 11 duck decoys, were discovered. The interior of the cave was used more for storage than for habitation and the artifacts found inside were perfectly preserved. The Ozette site was waterlogged by heavy rainfall which caused a mudslide with a thick layer of clay. At the site, entire houses, artifacts and gear were found that had a remarkable degree of preservation. Oetzi was an “Ice Man” who died some 5,300 years ago. He was freeze dried and remained undisturbed under ice for thousands of years preventing decomposition so when he was discovered he was very well- preserved. 4) How do all those sites compare to Pompeii? How do those sites compare to “regular” archaeology? Pompeii is also a well-preserved site due to it being buried under the ashes from the explosion of Vesuvius. Decomposition is carried out by microorganisms that require warmth, oxygen and water to survive and the absence allows preservation, such as in the Lovelock Cave, Ozette and Oetzi, as well as Pompeii. These sites are remarkable and uncommon compared to “regular” archaeology because of the remarkable and significant preservation of the sites and the artifacts found there.

5) So, two questions in a row on preservation. Seems important. Can you summarize what makes preservation happen? (Hint: this can be hard.) Preservation happens when decomposition is thwarted. Decomposition is carried out by microorganisms that require warmth, oxygen and water to survive and the absence of these, such as in the deep interior of a cave or buried under ice or ash, allows preservation to occur to varying degrees. 6) What is a test excavation, exactly? (Meaning, you can’t just say an excavation to test something, test an idea or even test a hypothesis.) A test excavation is a small initial excavation to determine a site’s potential for answering a research question. 7) Compare natural vs artificial levels. Which one is the better choice to dig in? (Need I warn you that is a trick question?) Natural levels – the site’s strata which are more or less homogenous, visually separable from the other levels by a change in texture, color, rock or organic content. Archaeologists prefer to excavate in natural levels wherever possible. Arbitrary levels – basic vertical subdivisions of an excavation square. They are used only when recognizable natural strata are lacking and when natural strata are more than 10cm. The best choice to dig in is the one that is allowed by the site itself – natural levels are preferable but when lacking, arbitrary levels of an excavation square can be used. 8) How big an area should we excavate? Dig metrically, typically in 1-meter squares, recording the x and y axes (horizontal coordinates) and the z axis (vertical coordinate). The area to be excavated depends on the site and the data and research goals. 9) What should be recorded? What artifacts saved? Record the provenience of every item found in situ to provide a very accurate record. Record the top side of the artifact, the compass orientation of the long axis and its slope and inclination. Objects must be catalogues to ensure that an artifact’s original provenience, and consequently its context, is never lost.

10) Which is better, dry screening or wet screening? Or does flotation beat both? (Need I repeat the trick question warning for the last 3-4 questions?) Dry screening is the screening of solid materials of different sizes without the aid of water. Wet screening, or water screening, is a sieving process in which deposits are placed in a screen, and the matrix washed away with hoses. Water screening is essential where artifacts are expected to be small and/or difficult to find without washing. Flotation is the use of fluid suspension to recover burned plant remains and bone fragments from archaeological sites. No one technique is necessarily better than the others. The best choice of which technique to use depends on the site and excavation situation and the data collecting and research goals of the excavation.

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Archaeology RQ Chapter 4

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