The Archaeological Record and Formation Process

 

 

 

 

 

Assignment 1: The Archaeological Record and Formation Process

Student’s Name:

Instructor:

Affiliation:

Date:

 

 

Assignment 1: The Archaeological Record and Formation Process

Questions

1. Which artifacts are made of organic materials?
2. Leather cap
3. Animal bone comb

• Woven reed mat

1. Leather loincloth and sandals
2. Which artifacts are made of inorganic materials?
3. Ceramic bowl
4. Stone goddess figurine

• Ground Ochre Pigment

1. Copper axe head
2. Which artifacts found are unlikely to have survived had they not been preserved in a cold environment? In a few sentences, explain why not?

The organic material such as leather cap, animal bone comb, woven reed mat and leather loincloth and sandals. Organic materials when exposed to normal temperatures will be acted upon by bacteria and other microbes in search of nutrients thus making them decompose. However, in cold weather, the bacteria, other microbes and small animals are inactive, therefore, making such condition favourable for organic materials preservation.

4. Which events are cultural formation process?
5. A curious hiker pulled the copper axe head out of the ice before archaeologists arrived
6. A survey team unknowingly damaged the right side of the human remains while placing a geographic marker shortly after World War II
7. Which events are natural formation process?
8. Glacier movement had scattered some of the artifacts associated with the body
9. A particular warm period in the mid-19^th century resulted in the Iceman’s left foot being partially exposed for a time. It is poorly preserved.
10. In a few sentences, define what is meant by archaeological context. Why is it important for understanding such artifacts as those found with the Iceman?

Archaeological context or context to an archaeologist is generally a place where artifacts are found that is the place, the type of site, the soil, the artifacts origin layer, and everything that surrounds the layer the artifact was found. Generally, the archaeological context is the natural position of an artifact within an archaeological assemblage that establishes the importance of provenience for a find and has the best potential for establishing the artifacts deposition chronological context. Conclusively, archaeological context is where an artifact is found, have the most meaning, and contribute the most to our understanding.

Understanding the archaeological context artifacts like the Iceman will enable you to decode information about the individual who lived there, what they eat, and their cultural understanding. It also will enable you to learn the entire human past, their period of existence, and to comprehend information about the predecessors.

7. Well preserved finds such as the Iceman are very rare. Most of the archaeological record is fragmentary and time-averaged. What does it mean that the archaeological records are time-averaged? What is the implication of time-averaging for what we can say about the archaeological records?

Time-averaged to archaeological records means the found artifacts are averaged over a period of time. The implication of time-averaging on archaeological records: through archaeological hypothesis, archaeological records can be deciphered for a superior comprehension. Through time-averaging, one can understand the antiquated discoveries, how the human movements affected the archaeological records and human procedure dangers.