Methods in archaeology

upright=1.35|thumb|The Permian through [[Jurassic strata of the Colorado Plateau area of southeastern Utah demonstrate the principles of stratigraphy.]] Stratigraphy is a branch of geology concerned with the study of rock layers (strata) and layering (stratification). It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks. Stratigraphy has three related subfields: lithostratigraphy (lithologic stratigraphy), biostratigraphy (biologic stratigraphy), and chronostratigraphy (stratigraphy by age).

group of artifacts associated with a past society

place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved

thumb|Strata in Salta province|Salta ([[Argentina)]] thumb|Goldenville strata in quarry in Bedford, Nova Scotia|Bedford, Canada. These are [[Middle Cambrian marine sediments. This formation covers over half of Nova Scotia and is recorded as being 8,800 m (29,000 ft) thick in some areas.]]

exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains

thumb|upright|Geoglyphs on deforestation|deforested land in the Amazon rainforest A geoglyph is a large design or motif – generally longer than – produced on the ground by durable elements of the landscape, such as stones, stone fragments, gravel, or earth. A positive geoglyph is formed by the arrangement and alignment of materials on the ground in a manner akin to petroforms, while a negative geoglyph is formed by removing part of the natural ground surface to create differently coloured or textured ground in a manner akin to petroglyphs.

Petrography is a branch of petrology that focuses on detailed descriptions of rocks. Someone who studies petrography is called a petrographer. The mineral content and the textural relationships within the rock are described in detail. The classification of rocks is based on the information acquired during the petrographic analysis. Petrographic descriptions start with the field notes at the outcrop and include macroscopic description of hand-sized specimens. The most important petrographer's tool is the petrographic microscope. The detailed analysis of minerals by optical mineralogy in thin se

archaeology of underwater sites and artifacts

thumb|350px|Fossilization process of a pair of sauropod dinosaurs, illustrating their preservation into [[fossils]]

physical aspect of culture in the objects and architecture that surround people

DNA isolated from ancient specimens

non-destructive exploration of the archaeological material culture in a given area

thumb|right|A geoarchaeologist analyzes the stratigraphy on the route of the LGV Est high-speed railway line. thumb|geoarchaeologist at work on column sample Geoarchaeology is a multidisciplinary field of study that applies the theories and techniques of the geosciences to archaeology. It draws on techniques and approaches from geomorphology, sedimentology, pedology, stratigraphy, and geochronology to interpret sediments, soils, and landforms in archaeological investigations to inform archaeological and chronological knowledge and thought. Geoarchaeologists study the natural physical processes

overview about the decipherment of ancient Egyptian scripts

Cyclododecane is an organic compound with the chemical formula (CH2)12. It is a waxy white solid at room temperature, and is soluble in nonpolar organic solvents.

250px|thumb|Celsus Library in [[Ephesus (Turkey), anastylosis carried out 1970–1978]]

collection of geophysical data from aircraft

grouping of prehistoric tools based on their characteristics

the study of archaeological remains by examining them from altitude

specialty of archaeology and stratigraphy

classification of archaeological artifacts according to their physical characteristics

Carpology is a discipline of botany devoted to the study of seeds and fruits. The German inventor Joseph Gaertner, an 18th-century doctor and botanist, dedicated his life to the study of natural history. He considered its inventor. When the discipline is applied to archaeological remains, it is known as paleocarpology, which in turn is located within paleobotanical science.

body of physical (i.e. not written) evidence about the past

archaeological survey and excavation carried out in advance of construction, other land development, or natural destruction of a landscape

distinctive type of sediment, artefact, style or other cultural trait that is found across a large geographical area

relative dating method in archaeology

archaeological term to describe a collection of one or more contexts representing some human non-portable activity

method in archaeology

archaeological site that is the model of a particular archaeological culture

Paleogenomics is a field of science based on the reconstruction and analysis of genomic information in extinct species. Improved methods for the extraction of ancient DNA (aDNA) from museum artifacts, ice cores, archeological or paleontological sites, and next-generation sequencing technologies have spurred this field. It is now possible to detect genetic drift, ancient population migration and interrelationships, the evolutionary history of extinct plant, animal and Homo species, and identification of phenotypic features across geographic regions. Scientists can also use paleogenomics to comp

thumb|300px|right|Cropmarks at a protohistoric site at [[Grézac, France]]

French painter and sculptor (1815-1875)

Estampage or stamping, is a term commonly used in epigraphy to obtain the exact replica of an inscription that cannot be transported.

analysis of traces of use in Archeology

use of computer based simulations of archaeological excavations

the results, digital or printed, of non-invasive physical sensing techniques used for archaeological imaging or mapping

Zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry, commonly referred to by the abbreviation ZooMS, is a scientific method that identifies animal species by means of characteristic peptide sequences in the protein collagen. ZooMS is the most common archaeological application of peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF) and can be used for species identification of bones, teeth, skin and antler. It is commonly used to identify objects that cannot be identified morphologically. In an archaeological context this usually means that the object is too fragmented or that it has been shaped into an artefact. Archaeologists

measuring of distortions of the earth's magnetic field

process of visually communicating the structure of an archaeological site or artifact