01
Front
What does relative chronology establish?
Back
It orders deposits, artifacts, or events as earlier than, later than, or contemporary with one another, without assigning calendar dates or durations.
Free Online Flashcard Deck
1 Relative Chronology and Archaeological Sequencing Free Online FlashCards
Study 1 Relative Chronology and Archaeological Sequencing with 12 free online flashcards. Review key terms, definitions, and concepts with this interactive flashcard deck.
12 cards
02
Front
What is the principle of superposition?
Back
In an undisturbed sequence, a lower deposit was generally laid down before the deposit above it.
03
Front
How does a cut relate chronologically to the layers it cuts?
Back
A cut interrupts earlier deposits, so the cut and its fill postdate the layers it cuts.
04
Front
What does a Harris matrix show?
Back
A Harris matrix diagrams relationships among individual contexts, helping organize which contexts are earlier or later without assigning dates in years.
05
Front
How can site disturbance undermine stratigraphic interpretation?
Back
Burrowing, roots, construction, erosion, or ploughing can mix or move materials, making a layer's apparent order misleading.
06
Front
How do residual and intrusive artifacts differ?
Back
Residual objects are older artifacts redeposited in a later context; intrusive objects entered an older layer from above.
07
Front
What is typology in archaeology?
Back
Typology groups artifacts by recurring features, such as shape, manufacturing technique, or decoration.
08
Front
What does seriation do?
Back
Seriation orders artifacts or assemblages by patterns of change, such as shifting frequencies of styles.
09
Front
How can frequency seriation help order assemblages?
Back
A style that rises in frequency and later declines can create a pattern that helps order assemblages.
10
Front
What is cross-dating?
Back
It uses an object or pattern with a known relative position in one context to help order another context where it also occurs.
11
Front
What can cross-dating not establish on its own?
Back
Without an independently dated anchor, cross-dating links one sequence to another but does not provide a calendar date.
12
Front
Why combine several lines of chronological evidence?
Back
Agreement among stratigraphy, artifact comparisons, and cross-dating increases confidence in the proposed ordering.
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