Archaeology in Practice: A Student Guide to Archaeological Analyses

Chapter Abstracts......Page 17
Preface and Acknowledgments......Page 21
Notes on Contributors......Page 24
Archaeological Prospection......Page 28
Aerial photography......Page 29
Remote imaging......Page 31
High-altitude photography......Page 32
Multispectral imaging......Page 33
Thermal imaging......Page 34
Airborne radar and LIDAR......Page 35
Earthwork survey......Page 36
Intrusive and semi-intrusive methods......Page 37
Metal detection......Page 38
Ground-Based Remote Sensing: Geophysical Methods......Page 39
Electrical methods......Page 40
Magnetic techniques......Page 42
Topsoil magnetic susceptibility survey......Page 47
Electromagnetic (EM) detection: ground-penetrating radar......Page 48
Other geophysical methods......Page 52
Underwater geophysical techniques......Page 53
The Future Role and Development Archaeological Prospecting......Page 57
Resources......Page 60
References......Page 61
Introduction......Page 66
What and Who is an Archaeological Stakeholder?......Page 67
Learning to work with stakeholders: a personal journey......Page 68
Learning to work with stakeholders: a discipline’s journey......Page 71
True or valid?......Page 74
How can there be different versions of the same past?......Page 75
Specific Issues and Concerns......Page 77
Competing claims......Page 78
When pasts conflict......Page 79
Good Examples of Consultation with Stakeholders......Page 80
Why Consult with Stakeholders? The Past as Cultural and Intellectual Property......Page 81
References......Page 82
What is Rock-Art?......Page 86
Classification......Page 87
Form......Page 88
How is Rock-Art Recorded?......Page 89
Photography......Page 90
Drawing and sketching......Page 93
Tracing......Page 94
How is Rock-Art Analyzed?......Page 96
Formal (or structural) methods......Page 97
Information exchange and stylistic heterogeneity......Page 98
Statistical techniques......Page 99
Dating art......Page 100
Chronology from spatial analysis......Page 102
Stylistic dating......Page 103
Association with dated archaeological deposit or art materials......Page 104
Portrayal of datable subject matter......Page 105
Direct (or absolute) dating......Page 106
Case Study: The Depiction of Species in Macropod Track Engravings......Page 107
The zoological experiment......Page 108
The results......Page 109
The archaeological experiment......Page 111
Interpretation of the Sturt’s Meadows art......Page 113
Resources......Page 114
References......Page 115
What is Stratigraphy?......Page 124
How do Different Layers Occur in Archaeological Sites?......Page 125
Principles (or laws) of stratigraphy......Page 126
Sources of disturbance......Page 129
Excavation and Stratigraphy......Page 131
Recording Stratification......Page 132
The Harris Matrix: interpreting the spatial record......Page 133
Creating Analytical Units......Page 136
Case Study: Sos Höyük......Page 137
Further reading......Page 141
References......Page 142
Introduction......Page 144
Chronometry......Page 145
Radiogenic methods......Page 149
Geomorphic methods......Page 151
Maximum limits......Page 152
Minimum limits......Page 154
Precision......Page 155
From Age Estimates to Chronology......Page 156
Fidelity and resolution......Page 159
Time averaging......Page 160
Multiple Scales of Time......Page 164
Case Study 1: Assessing Different Scales of Time at Bone Cave......Page 167
Case Study 2: Time Perspectivism in Practice, Stud Creek, Western New South Wales......Page 170
Geomorphological history......Page 171
Heat-retainer hearths......Page 174
Stud Creek chronology......Page 178
Further reading......Page 179
References......Page 180
Why study stone artifacts?......Page 186
What are stone artifacts?......Page 187
How are they made?......Page 188
How do you recognize different techniques?......Page 198
Why classify?......Page 203
What are the different types of classification?......Page 204
What are the different methods of classification?......Page 206
How do you choose between classificatory systems?......Page 207
What attributes should you choose?......Page 208
When do you need to use statistics and what statistics are most useful?......Page 209
How do you measure core reduction?......Page 210
How do you measure flake reduction?......Page 214
How can you explore blank selection?......Page 215
How do you measure retouch?......Page 218
What if most of your artifacts are broken or damaged?......Page 220
What should you do if you can’t tell artifacts from natural rocks?......Page 222
How can you overcome sample size effects?......Page 223
How do you determine whether it is good- or poor-quality stone?......Page 224
What is an adequate sample?......Page 225
References......Page 226
Introduction......Page 234
Functional Analysis......Page 235
Methodology, Experiments, and Procedures......Page 236
Microscopes......Page 240
Plant Residues Found on Artifacts......Page 243
Raphides......Page 244
Resin, gums, waxes, and other exudates......Page 245
Blood......Page 246
Usewear......Page 248
Striations......Page 249
Edge rounding......Page 252
Conclusion......Page 253
Resources......Page 254
References......Page 255
Introduction......Page 262
What is a “Ceramic”?......Page 263
Clay preparation......Page 265
Pre-fire decoration......Page 266
Post-fire treatment......Page 267
Handling of Ceramics During and After Excavation......Page 268
Cleaning ceramics......Page 269
Repairing ceramics......Page 270
Prefatory issues before undertaking an analytical program......Page 271
Quantitative analysis of ceramics......Page 272
Sampling for laboratory analysis......Page 275
How to begin analysis and select an appropriate analytical method......Page 276
Technology studies......Page 280
Usewear studies of ceramics......Page 281
Identifying the potters......Page 282
Sourcing of ceramics......Page 283
References......Page 285
Introduction......Page 287
Project Planning, Sampling, and Recovery......Page 288
Look Before You Dig – On-Site Observation......Page 297
Bagging and Tagging......Page 301
The Laboratory......Page 304
Making the Record......Page 305
Using the Record – Quantification......Page 314
Resources......Page 317
References......Page 318
Macroscopic Plant Remains......Page 323
The relationship between people and plants......Page 325
Plants and regional subsistence......Page 326
Technical problems in analyzing macro-plants, and their solutions......Page 327
Ethnobotany and ethnoarchaeology......Page 328
What Kinds of Methods can be Effectively Used to Retrieve and Analyze Plant Remains?......Page 329
Wood and charcoal......Page 330
More problems in the analysis of plant remains......Page 331
The excavations......Page 332
Recovery techniques......Page 333
Quantification methods......Page 334
Case study results......Page 335
Case study conclusions......Page 336
Conclusion......Page 337
References......Page 338
Introduction......Page 343
The Creation of Middens......Page 345
The Identification of Middens......Page 346
Field Procedures......Page 348
Mechanical Sorting......Page 352
Hand Sorting into Components......Page 353
Shellfish Analysis......Page 354
Identification of Shellfish and Other Species......Page 355
Further Analysis......Page 359
Interpretation......Page 360
References......Page 361
Introduction......Page 365
Granulometry......Page 367
pH......Page 370
Organic Matter......Page 371
Phosphorus......Page 373
Case Study 1: Prehistoric Canals in the American Southwest......Page 375
Case Study 2: Kennewick Man, Washington State, USA......Page 380
References......Page 384
Introduction......Page 389
Cataloging Artifacts......Page 391
Domestic Ceramics......Page 392
Clay Tobacco Pipes......Page 395
Bottle Glass......Page 397
Glass Tools......Page 401
Metal Containers......Page 402
Firearms......Page 403
Building Materials......Page 404
Artifact Analysis......Page 407
Case Study: Kelly and Lucas’s Whaling Station, Adventure Bay, Tasmania, Australia......Page 410
Further reading......Page 412
References......Page 413
Introduction......Page 416
Preparing for research......Page 418
Identifying sources......Page 420
Verify, evaluate, and discriminate......Page 423
Case Study: The Use of Documents at Annapolis......Page 424
Long-term history......Page 425
Social time......Page 426
Individual time......Page 427
Complement......Page 429
Contradiction......Page 430
Creating context......Page 431
Making an archaeological contribution to history......Page 432
Resources......Page 433
Further reading......Page 434
References......Page 435
Introduction......Page 437
Who is my audience?......Page 438
Structure......Page 439
Results......Page 440
Acknowledgments......Page 441
Writing......Page 442
Language......Page 444
Target carefully......Page 445
Think about illustrations and tables......Page 446
Read the proofs carefully......Page 448
Appendix: getting things right......Page 449
Further reading......Page 451
References......Page 452
Index......Page 453