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M - N - O
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Maize: Another name for corn.
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Matrix: A general term applied to the sediments and
other material, such as boulders, gravel, or stone, in which
archaeological materials are found. Soil samples are also removed
for flotation.
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Midden: A surface used for trash disposal, often
characterized by a dark stain or an accumulation of debris.
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Mottling: Displaying multiple colors or shades,
often used to describe soil colors.
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Munsell: A book of standardized colored ships used
by archaeologists to describe soil.
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NAGRPA (Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act): Law passed in 1990 which
created new ethical and legal archaeological standards for the treatment
of human remains. It calls for human remains and sacred objects held by federal museums and agencies to be
repatriated to native groups who can be connected to the archaeological
cultures.
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Nettle (wood): A plant that was used to
make cordage, often found along riverbanks or in the woods.
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Observation: Recognizing or noting a fact or
occurence.
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Obsidian: Sometimes referred to as volcanic glass,
this is a form of stone that has no internal blocky or crystalline
structure. Consequently, it can be made to have an exceptionally
sharp edge, though it is typically brittle.
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Orthoquartzite: Also known as silicified sandstone,
this is a form of quartzite found in Wisconsin.
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Paste: A mixture of clay
and water, to which other materials are added as temper before being
formed into a pottery vessel.
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Percussion flaking: There are two forms:
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Direct Percussion: Striking a core directly with a hammer or
billet in order to drive off a flake.
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Indirect Percussion: The use of an intermediary punch to
focus the power of a blow on a specific point of a core.
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Petroglyph: A design chiseled or chipped out of a
rock surface.
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Pictograph: A design painted on a rock surface.
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Pit: A hole that was dug into the ground, often for
storage, burials, or refuse. Also a slang word used to describe an
area of excavation.
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Pleistocene: The Ice Age; the epoch of geologic
time from 1.6 million years ago to 10,000 years ago, characterized in
North America by periods of glacial advance and retreat.
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Pot Sherd: A piece of broken pottery.
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Pottery: All forms of human-made products
constructed from clay.
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Prehistoric Archaeology: Archaeology that deals
with materials that date prior to written history within a region.
In Wisconsin, this would be before A.D. 1650.
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Pressure Flaking: The controlled application of
increasing pressure to a core in order to strike off a flake.
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Projectile Point: Not always an arrowhead! A
term used to describe any stone tool used as a hunting device, either a
spearpoint or an arrowhead.
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Provenience: The location of an item (artifact,
feature, or ecofact) in a site.
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Punctation: Pressing nodes or other shapes into the
surface of pottery, usually one shape at a time.
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Pythagorean Theorem: Formula used to determine the
side or hypotenuse of a right triangle (a squared + b squared = c
squared). Used to lay out excavation units.
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