01
Front
What is an excavation unit?
Back
A defined area chosen for investigation, often a square or rectangle laid out on a site grid.
Free Online Flashcard Deck
2 Excavation Units and Field Methods Free Online FlashCards
Study 2 Excavation Units and Field Methods with 12 free online flashcards. Review key terms, definitions, and concepts with this interactive flashcard deck.
12 cards
02
Front
How does a context differ from an excavation unit?
Back
An excavation unit is a spatial division; a context is a distinct deposit, surface, cut, or built element recorded and interpreted separately.
03
Front
What should guide excavation-unit placement?
Back
Unit placement should test a clear research question and account for known evidence, topography, soil conditions, site boundaries, and areas to leave undisturbed.
04
Front
Why establish a site grid and datum before digging?
Back
A site grid tied to a permanent or relocatable datum, with consistent horizontal and vertical control, lets observations from separate units be compared and connected.
05
Front
How should excavators respond to a soil change?
Back
Observe and record soil properties and boundaries before interpreting them; not every change marks a distinct archaeological event.
06
Front
What is an archaeological feature?
Back
A non-portable or spatially defined archaeological element, such as a hearth, pit, posthole, wall, floor, or ditch.
07
Front
What is the difference between a pit’s cut and fill?
Back
The cut records the act of digging; the fill records material deposited afterward. They are different contexts.
08
Front
What sequence is implied by a feature cut into a layer?
Back
A feature cut into an older layer must postdate that layer; the feature’s fill must postdate the cut.
09
Front
Does deeper always mean older?
Back
No. Stratigraphic relationships provide relative sequence, not calendar dates, and disturbances or redeposition can disrupt the relationship between depth and age.
10
Front
How should distinguishable deposits be excavated?
Back
Excavate according to their boundaries and relationships rather than removing a uniform thickness through unrelated layers.
11
Front
What are arbitrary levels, and what do they represent?
Back
They are measured increments used as a control when internal boundaries cannot be reliably seen; they do not necessarily represent separate ancient events.
12
Front
Why keep spoil from different contexts separate?
Back
Keep spoil from separate contexts apart so finds retain their provenience.
Related study packs and tools
- Quiz
01 The Ancient Mediterranean: Geography, Sources, and Chronology
Explore how geography, chronology, evidence, and networks shaped the diverse societies of the ancient Mediterranean.
- Study guide
03 The Greek Polis and the Archaic Age
Trace how Greek communities developed into independent poleis and compare the distinct political and social paths of Sparta and Athens during the Archaic Age.
- Flashcards
03 The Scientific Revolution
Review how new methods, discoveries, and debates transformed European understandings of nature during the Scientific Revolution.
- Study guide
3 Theories of International Relations
Compare major theories of international relations and learn how each explains power, cooperation, identity, and global inequality.
- Study guide
04 Greek Politics and Warfare in the Classical Age
Compare political power and citizenship in Athens and Sparta, then trace how the Persian Wars and rival alliances shaped Greek warfare and the Peloponnesian War.
- Study guide
05 Greek Religion, Society, and Culture
Explore how religion, philosophy, performance, art, architecture, and social life shaped diverse ancient Greek communities.
- Study guide
06 Macedon and the Hellenistic Mediterranean
Trace Macedon’s rise, Alexander’s conquests, the competing successor kingdoms, and the political, social, religious, and artistic connections that shaped the Hellenistic Mediterranean.
- Quiz
8 Political Parties
A medium-difficulty quiz on the roles, organization, systems, and trade-offs of political parties.
- Quiz
08 Rome’s Mediterranean Expansion and Republican Crisis
A medium-difficulty quiz on Rome's Mediterranean expansion, provincial government, and the pressures that destabilized the Republic.
- Study guide
08 Rome’s Mediterranean Expansion and Republican Crisis
Trace how Rome’s Mediterranean conquests expanded its power and strained Republican institutions, from the Punic Wars to Augustus’s new political settlement.
- Quiz
10 Roman Society, Religion, and Economy
A medium-difficulty quiz on Roman religion, social relationships, labor, trade, and urban life.
- Quiz
11 Roman Culture and Mediterranean Exchange
A medium-difficulty quiz on how Roman literature, art, architecture, and exchange reflected both shared imperial connections and local traditions.