Archaeology Glossary Terms
Archaeology »Glossary terms a - A

Archaeology glossary is a comprehensive guide which provides meanings of popular terminology used in archaeology. It is particularly a valuable source for the people who term themselves as beginners in the field of archaeology.

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analogy   a process of reasoning whereby two entities that share some similarities are assumed to share many others.
Analysis   the process of studying and classifying artifacts, usually conducted in a laboratory after excavation has been completed.
ancillary sample   any non-artifactual materials collected by archaeologists to aid in dating, paleoenvironmental reconstruction, or other interpretations - e.g. carbon samples, soil samples, palynological samples etc.
annealing   in copper and bronze metallurgy, this refers to the repeated process of heating and hammering the material to produce the desired shape.
anthropology   the study of humanity - our physical characteristics as animals, and our unique non-biological characteristics we call culture. The scientific and humanistic study of man's present and past biological, linguistic, social, and cultural variations. The subject is generally broken down into three subdisciplines biological (physical) , cultural (social) , archaeology, and anthropological linguistics. The scientific and humanistic study of man's present and past biological, linguistic, social, and c
anthropomorphic   "man-like." Used to describe artifacts or art work decorated with human features or with a man-like appearance.
antiquarian   One who studies the past as a hobby rather than as a profession.
Anvil   A rock that was used as a level base for chipping other stone into tools, blades or projectile points. Typically part of a flint knapper's toolkit.
aperture   A relatively large opening on the last-formed chamber of a foraminiferal shell.
aptian   European stage of the Lower Cretaceous, spanning the time between 114 and 107 million years ago.
 
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