ARTEFACT (ARTIFACT)

• an object made by a human being, typically an item of cultural or historical interest.

MIDDEN

• A midden is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, human excrement, botanical material, vermin, shells, pottery shards, tools, and other artifacts and ecofacts associated with past human occupation.

CARBON 14 DATING

• A way of measuring the amount on Carbon 14 in an artifact to determine its age.

ARCHAEOLOGIST

• An archaeologist is a scientist who studies human history by digging up human remains and artifacts.

ANTHROPOLOGIST

• Anthropology is the study of humans, past and present. To understand the full sweep and complexity of cultures across all of human history,

PALEOLITHIC

• early phase of the Stone Age, lasting about 2.5 million years, when primitive stone implements were used.

MESOLITHIC

• middle part of the Stone Age, between the Paleolithic and Neolithic.

NEOLITHIC

• later part of the Stone Age, when ground or polished stone weapons and implements prevailed.

FOSSIL

• the remains or impression of a prehistoric organism preserved in petrified form or as a mold or cast in rock.

EXCAVATION

• A dig site where earth and debris are carefully removed in order to uncover artifacts.

CONSERVATION

• preservation, repair, and prevention of deterioration of archaeological, historical, and cultural sites and artifacts.

PRIVY PITS

• Ancient outhouses. Archaeologists will excavate these to find artifacts to learn about the people who once used them.

ECOFACTS

• In archaeology, an ecofact is organic material found at an archaeological site that carries archaeological significance. Ecofacts are natural objects found with artifacts or features such as big horn sheep bones, charcoal, plants, and pollen.