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Q - R - S -
T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z
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Quarry Site: A site where
stone was removed to be traded or made into tools.
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Quartzite (Silicified Sandstone): A hard, light
colored rock with a flinty sheen; it is a metamorphosed sandstone. See
also orthoquartzite.
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Radiocarbon Dating: A method of
absolute dating which is based on the radioactive decay of carbon in organic
materials.
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Relative Dating: Determining age relative
to other items or events, such as saying one point style is older than
another. Artifact styles and stratigraphy are often used to give
sites relative dates.
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Rodent Run: Evidence of a mole, gopher, or other
rodent in an archaeological site, demonstrated typically through the
mottling of soil.
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Sandstone: Any stone that is made of cemented
grains of sand; sometimes used for groundstone tools and hearth rock.
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Scraper: A stone tool that is modified for the
specific task of scraping; for example, to scrape the meat from hides.
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Screening: The process of sifting soil to collect
artifacts. A 1/4" screen is standard for an archaeological
site. See also tool kit.
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Settlement Pattern: The
distribution of features and sites across the landscape.
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Shatter: Small chunks of rock that are a result of
the flintknapping process.
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Shovel Testing: The process of systematic or random
sampling of an archaeological site through the excavation of small
holes, typically about 50 cm wide and up to 1 meter deep.
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Sinew: Animal tendon prepared to use as cord or
thread.
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Site: A geographic place where there is evidence of
past human activity.
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Site Datum: The master control point on an
archaeological site into which all measurements are eventually tied.
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Skim Shoveling: The process of carefully shoveling
soil within an archaeological unit; usually 1/2 cm - 1 cm at a
time. The soil is tossed into a screen and then sifted.
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Stain: A specific area of discolored soil within a
unit of excavation or within a feature.
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Stratigraphy: The systematic study of layers of
sediments, usually to determine the sequence in which past human
activities took place.
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Style: Styles of artifacts, such as the decorations
on pottery, the shape of projectile points, or the designs of cars,
change through time. Archaeologists can trace these changes and
use them to date sites. Style is used for relative dating.
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Survey: A systematic examination of the surface of
the land for the purpose of locating and recording archaeological sites.
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Temper: Coarse inclusions deliberately added to a
paste for purposes of improving the firing characteristics of that
paste. Whether the temper seen in broken rimsherds is rock or
shell can help date the artifact.
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Tool Kit: An archaeologist's tool kit
is comprised of several tools, along with the larger tools needed for
excavation.
Tools in the kit to the left include bags, tags, twisties, a film
canister to hold fragile artifacts, pencil, marker, trowel, root cutter,
wooden pick, two brushes, linelevel, string, nails to mark the unit
border, rulers, tape measure, and files.
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Files: Used out in the
"field" or on an archaeological dig, files are essential for
keeping shovels, trowels and other items sharpened.
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Line Level: A small level that sits on
top of a string that is attached to a datum point. The string,
when pulled taut, will allow an archaeologist to use the level and then
measure the depth below the datum point (an extremely useful tool on a
dig!!).
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Probe: Soil probes are used to find the depths of
soil layers of feature stains.
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Screen: Field screens are used to catch artifacts
that are larger than the 1/4" mesh.
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Shovel: Archaeologists generally use curved spades
for shovel tests and flat shovels for skim shoveling excavation units.
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Trowel: This tool is used for carefully removing
layers of soil and creating flat profiles and unit floors.
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Unit (Excavation Unit): A defined horizontal area
that will be systematically excavated, such as a
2 X 2 meter square.
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