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E - F - G
- H - I - J - K - L
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Ecofacts: Natural biological objects
recovered from archaeological sites usually modified or used by human
behavior such as the remains of plant and animal foods.
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Ethnoarchaeology: The study of living
or ethnohistorically known peoples for the purposes of generating
archaeologically useful data.
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Excavation: Systematic uncovering and
recording of archaeological sites.
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Experimental Archaeology: Scientific
studies designed to discover processes that produced and/or modified
artifacts and structures that are found in archaeological sites.
Examples include making pottery, projectile points, structures, and gardens.
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Fauna: In archaeology, the remains of
animals that are found at a site and used to study diet, seasonal
activities, and climate.
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Feature: A combination of artifacts
and/or ecofacts that create a single definable entity, such as a fireplace,
burial, or garbage pit. Unlike artifacts, features are
part of the landscape and cannot be removed from the site without losing the
overall value of the whole.
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Fire Cracked
Rock (FCR): Rock placed
around a hearth that shows evidence of being heated. In Wisconsin,
the raw material was usually limestone or sandstone.
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Flakes:
The pieces of stone struck off a
rock in the reduction sequence (flintknapping), each usually having a striking platform,
bulb of percussion, and similar identifying features. There are
three main types of flakes:
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Primary: A flake that has substantial amounts of cortex on
it and that was one of the first flakes removed from the core when the
stone was initially broken open.
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Secondary: A flake that may have some cortex on its surface and that was
removed during the rough shaping
of a stone tool.
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Tertiary: A flake that has no cortex on it and that was
removed during the final shaping of a stone tool.
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Flint: Sometimes used as a synonym for chert.
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Flint Knapping: The process of chipping
stone into shapes usable as tools or for expressive purposes.
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Flora: In archaeology, the remains of
plants that are found at a site and used to study diet, seasonal
activities, and climate.
The image on the left is of a small charred corncob and the image
below is a close-up of a charred corn kernel .
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Flotation: The process of soaking and
screening matrix samples in water in order to collect very small
artifacts and the organic material that floats to the top, such as seeds
and charcoal.
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Ground Stone Tools: Tools that are
produced by pecking and grinding stones into desired shapes.
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Habitation Site: A site at which
prehistoric people lived or camped.
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Hammerstone: The stone used to strike a
core in order to detach flakes.
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Heat Treated: Refers to the process of
placing a rock or other raw material into the fire in order to produce a
more stable/sturdy/attractive product.
The heat treated artifact is on the right.
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Historic: In North American archaeology
this term refers to the time period after European influence and the
beginning of written records. Native Americans did not have a
written history. In Wisconsin, this would be around 1650 and
later. Historic artifacts may consist of old bottles, buttons,
coins, etc.
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Holocene:
The period of time since the last glaciation, about 10,000 years
ago. We are still in the Holocene today.
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Hunter-gatherers: A
term applied to people whose diet is based on hunting, fishing, and
gathering, as opposed to domesticating animals or plants.
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Hypothesis: A proposed explanation
accounting for a set of facts that can be tested by further
investigation.
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In Situ: In place; an
undisturbed artifact is in situ.
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Inference: A determination arrived at by
reasoning; using facts to arrive at a broader conclusion.
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Kill Site: A site at
which prehistoric people killed or butchered an animal.
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Levels: Specific layers of soil removed
during excavation and processed for cultural materials.
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Limestone: A sedimentary rock, comprised
of the mineral precipitate calcium carbonate. In Wisconsin, it was sometimes
used to make tools, but was most often used to surround hearths.
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Lithics: The full range of stone
material related to or resulting from human activity, for example,
projectile points, drills, cores, hammerstones, etc.
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Lotting: the process of assigning a
number to artifacts in the field in order to keep track
of all finds. See also acquisitioning artifacts.
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