Archaeology is the study of the human being past using cloth remains. These remains tin can be any objects that people created, modified, or used.

Portable remains are usually called artifacts. Artifacts include tools, clothing, and decorations. Non-portable remains, such as pyramids or post-holes, are called features.

Archaeologists utilize artifacts and features to acquire how people lived in specific times and places. They desire to know what these people'due south daily lives were like, how they were governed, how they interacted with each other, and what they believed and valued.

Sometimes, artifacts and features provide the only clues almost an aboriginal community or culture. Prehistoric civilizations did not get out behind written records, and then we cannot read about them.

Understanding why ancient cultures built the giant stone circles at Stonehenge, England, for case, remains a challenge v,000 years subsequently the first monoliths were erected. Archaeologists studying Stonehenge do non take ancient manuscripts to tell them how cultures used the feature. They rely on the enormous stones themselves—how they are bundled and the way the site developed over fourth dimension.

Well-nigh cultures with writing systems go out written records that archaeologists consult and study. Some of the nigh valuable written records are everyday items, such as shopping lists and tax forms. Latin, the language of aboriginal Rome, helps archaeologists empathize artifacts and features discovered in parts of the Roman Empire. The use of Latin shows how far the empire's influence extended, and the records themselves tin can tell archaeologists what foods were available in an area, how much they cost, and what buildings belonged to families or businesses.

Many ancient civilizations had complex writing systems that archaeologists and linguists are still working to decipher. The written system of the Mayan language, for instance, remained a mystery to scholars until the 20th century. The Maya were 1 of the most powerful pre-Columbian civilizations in North America, and their Central American temples and manuscripts are inscribed with a collection of squared glyphs, or symbols. A series of circles and lines represents numbers.

By deciphering the Mayan script, archaeologists were able to trace the ancestry of Mayan kings and chart the development of their calendar and agricultural seasons. Understanding the basics of the Mayan writing system helps archaeologists discover how Mayan civilisation functioned—how they were governed, how they traded with some neighbors and went to war with others, what they ate, and what gods they worshipped.

As archaeologists go more fluent in Mayan writing, they are making new discoveries almost the civilization every day. Today, some archaeologists piece of work with linguists and poets to preserve the one time-lost Mayan language.

History of Archaeology

The word "archæology" comes from the Greek discussion "arkhaios," which means "ancient." Although some archaeologists written report living cultures, near archaeologists business themselves with the distant by.

People take dug upwardly monuments and collected artifacts for thousands of years. Oftentimes, these people were not scholars, only looters and grave robbers looking to make money or build upward their personal collections.

For instance, grave robbers have been plundering the magnificent tombs of Egypt since the time the Pyramids were congenital. Grave robbing was such a mutual offense in aboriginal Egypt that many tombs accept subconscious chambers where the family unit of the deceased would place treasures.

In Arab republic of egypt in the mid-1800s, an Egyptian homo searching for a lost goat stumbled across the tomb of Pharaoh Ramses I. (Many archaeologists doubt this story and say grave robbers, working every bit an organized group, routinely scouted and plundered many tombs in the area.) Ramses I ruled for a brusque time in the 1290s BCE. Besides the body of the pharaoh, the tomb held artifacts such as pottery, paintings, and sculpture. The man sold the mummies and artifacts from the tomb to anyone who would pay.

The mummy of Ramses I wound upwards in a museum in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, where it remained until the museum closed in 1999. The Canadian museum sold the Egyptian collection to the Michael C. Carlos Museum in Atlanta, Georgia, which confirmed the mummy's majestic condition through the use of CT scanners, X-rays, radiocarbon dating, reckoner imaging, and other techniques. Ramses I was returned to Egypt in 2003.

One of the nigh well-known archaeological finds is the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, as well known every bit King Tut. Dissimilar many other Egyptian tombs, grave robbers had never discovered King Tut. His resting place lay undisturbed for thousands of years, until information technology was discovered in 1922. In improver to mummies of Tutankhamun and his family unit, the tomb contained some 5,000 artifacts.

Many early archaeologists worked in the service of invading armies. When Gen. Napoleon Bonaparte of France successfully invaded Egypt in 1798, he brought artists, archaeologists, and historians to document the conquest. Napoleon's troops took dwelling house hundreds of tons of Egyptian artifacts: columns, coffins, rock tablets, monumental statues. Today, these Egyptian antiquities take up entire floors of the Louvre Museum in Paris, French republic.

Some archaeologists of this time were wealthy adventurers, explorers, and merchants. These apprentice archaeologists oft had a sincere interest in the culture and artifacts they studied. However, their piece of work is often regarded equally an example of colonialism and exploitation. The then-called Elgin Marbles are an instance of this controversy.

In 1801, Hellenic republic had been taken over past the Ottoman Empire. The British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Lord Elgin, received permission to remove half of the sculptures from the famous Acropolis of Athens, Greece. These marble sculptures were a office of buildings such as the Parthenon. Lord Elgin claimed he wanted to protect the valuable sculptures from damage caused by conflict betwixt the Greeks and the Ottomans.

The regime of Greece has been lobbying for the render of the Elgin Marbles ever since. Most Greeks view the sculptures every bit part of their cultural heritage. Hellenic republic has cutting off diplomatic relations to the United kingdom several times, demanding the return of the sculptures, which remain in the British Museum in London.

Eventually, archaeology evolved into a more systematic subject field. Scientists started using standard weights and measures and other formalized methods for recording and removing artifacts. They required detailed drawings and drafts of the entire dig site, as well equally private pieces. Archaeologists began to work with classicists, historians, and linguists to develop a unified picture of the past.

In the 20th century, archaeologists began to re-appraise their impact on the cultures and environments where they dig. Today, in most countries, archaeological remains go the holding of the state where they were found, regardless of who finds them. Egypt, for example, is scattered with archaeological sites sponsored past American universities. These teams must obtain permission from the Egyptian government to dig at the sites, and all artifacts become the property of Arab republic of egypt.

Disciplines of Archaeology

Archaeology is based on the scientific method. Archaeologists inquire questions and develop hypotheses. They use evidence to choose a dig site, then utilise scientific sampling techniques to select where on the site to dig. They observe, record, categorize, and interpret what they find. And then they share their results with other scientists and the public.

Underwater archaeologists study materials at the bottom of lakes, rivers, and oceans. Underwater archæology encompasses any prehistoric and celebrated periods, and almost all sub-disciplines as archaeology. Artifacts and features are simply submerged.

Artifacts studied by underwater archaeologists could be the remains of a shipwreck. In 1985, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Dr. Robert Ballard helped locate the wreck of RMS Titanic, which sank in the Due north Atlantic Ocean in 1912, killing near i,500 people. Ballard and other scientists used sonar to locate the wreck, which had been lost since the ocean liner sank. By exploring Titanic using remote-controlled cameras, Ballard and his coiffure discovered facts about the shipwreck (such equally the fact the ship broke in 2 large pieces as it sank) likewise as hundreds of artifacts, such as furniture, lighting fixtures, and children's toys.

Underwater archaeology includes more than just shipwrecks, however. Sites include hunt camps on the continental shelf of the Gulf of Mexico, and portions of the aboriginal city of Alexandria, Arab republic of egypt, submerged due to earthquakes and sea level ascension.

This basic framework carries beyond many different disciplines, or areas of written report, within archaeology.

Prehistoric and Historic Archæology
There are two major disciplines of archaeology: prehistoric archaeology and historic archæology. Inside these groups are subdisciplines, based on the time period studied, the civilization studied, or the types of artifacts and features studied.

Prehistoric archaeology deals with civilizations that did not develop writing. Artifacts from these societies may provide the only clues we have about their lives. Archaeologists studying the Clovis people, for instance, accept just arrowheads—called projectile points— and rock tools every bit artifacts. The unique projectile points were first discovered in Clovis, New United mexican states, in the U.s.a., and the culture was named later on the town. And then-chosen Clovis points constitute the Clovis people equally ane of the starting time inhabitants of North America. Archaeologists have dated Clovis points to almost 13,000 years agone.

A subdiscipline of prehistoric archaeology is paleopathology. Paleopathology is the written report of disease in aboriginal cultures. (Paleopathology is too a subdiscipline of historical archæology.) Paleopathologists may investigate the presence of specific diseases, what areas lacked sure diseases, and how different communities reacted to disease. By studying the history of a disease, paleopathologists may contribute to an understanding of the manner modern diseases progress. Paleopathologists tin can also find clues about people's overall wellness. Past studying the teeth of ancient people, for case, paleopathologists can deduce what kinds of nutrient they ate, how often they ate, and what nutrients the foods contained.

Historic archeology incorporates written records into archaeological research. 1 of the nigh famous examples of celebrated archeology is the discovery and decipherment of the Rosetta Stone. The Rosetta Rock is a large slab of marble discovered about Rashid, Egypt, by French archaeologists in 1799. It became an of import tool of celebrated archæology.

The stone is inscribed with a prescript made on behalf of Pharaoh Ptolemy 5. The decree was written and carved into the rock in three different languages: hieroglyphic, demotic, and Greek. Hieroglyphics are the film-symbols used for formal documents in ancient Arab republic of egypt. Demotic is the informal script of ancient Egypt. Before the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, Egyptologists did non understand hieroglyphics or demotic. They could, however, sympathize Greek. Using the Greek portion of the Rosetta Stone, archaeologists and linguists were able to interpret the text and decipher hieroglyphs. This cognition has contributed vastly to our understanding of Egyptian history.

Historic archaeology contributes to many disciplines, including religious studies. The Dead Sea Scrolls, for case, are a collection of about 900 documents. The tightly rolled parchment and other writing sheets were establish between 1947 and 1956 in 11 caves near Qumran, West Bank, near the Dead Sea. Amidst the scrolls are texts from the Hebrew Bible, written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.

The Expressionless Sea Scrolls are the oldest versions of Biblical texts ever constitute, dating from betwixt the 3rd century BCE to the outset century CE. The scrolls likewise contain texts, psalms, and prophecies that are not part of today's Bible. Discovery of the scrolls has increased our knowledge of the development of Judaism and Christianity.

A subdiscipline of historic archaeology is industrial archeology. Industrial archaeologists study materials that were created or used later the Industrial Revolution of the 1700s and 1800s. The Industrial Revolution was strongest in Western Europe and North America, then most industrial archaeologists report artifacts found there.

One of the most important sites for industrial archaeologists is the Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire, England. The River Severn runs through the gorge, and during the Industrial Revolution, it immune for the send of raw materials such as coal, limestone, and iron. In fact, the world's first atomic number 26 bridge spans the Severn at that place. Past studying artifacts and features (such as the iron bridge), industrial archaeologists are able to trace the area's economic development every bit information technology moved from agriculture to manufacturing and trade.

Other Disciplines
Ethnoarchaeologists written report how people apply and organize objects today. They use this knowledge to empathise how people used tools in the by. Archaeologists researching the ancient San civilisation of southern Africa, for instance, study the way modern San civilization functions. Until the mid-20th century, the San, maintained a somewhat nomadic lifestyle based on hunting and gathering. Although the San culture had evolved significantly, archaeologists studying the tools of the modern San could still written report the way ancient San tracked and hunted animals and gathered native plants.

Environmental archaeologists help us understand the environmental weather condition that influenced people in the past. Sometimes, environmental archeology is called human being paleoecology. Environmental archaeologists discovered that the expansion of the Taquara/Itararé people of the Brazilian highlands is closely linked with the expansion of the evergreen wood in that location. The wood grew as the climate became wetter. As the wood provided more than resources to the Taquara/Itararé people (timber, every bit well every bit plants and animals that depended on the evergreen trees), they were able to expand their territory.

Experimental archaeologists replicate the techniques and processes people used to create or employ objects in the by. Often, re-creating an aboriginal workshop or abode helps experimental archaeologists understand the process or method used by aboriginal people to create features or artifacts. Ane of the near famous examples of experimental archaeology is the Kon-Tiki, a big raft built past Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl. In 1947, Heyerdahl sailed the Kon-Tiki from Southward America to Polynesia to testify that ancient mariners, with the aforementioned tools and technology, could have navigated the vast Pacific Ocean.

Forensic archaeologists sometimes piece of work with geneticists to back up or question Deoxyribonucleic acid evidence. More oft, they excavate the remains of victims of murder or genocide in areas of conflict. Forensic archeology is important to the understanding of the "Killing Fields" of Cambodia, for case. The Killing Fields are the sites of mass graves of thousands of victims of the Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970s. After the autumn of the Khmer Rouge, forensic archaeologists studied the remains of the bodies in the Killing Fields, discovering how and when they died. The forensic archaeologists helped plant that the Khmer Rouge used starvation and overwork, equally well as directly killing, to silence opponents of the regime.

Archaeologists working in the field of cultural resource management help assess and preserve remains on sites where construction is scheduled to occur. Archaeologists working as cultural resource managers often collaborate with local governments to rest the infrastructure and commercial needs of a customs with historic and cultural interests represented by artifacts and features establish on construction sites.

Where to Dig?

Most archaeology involves digging. Winds and floods carry sand, dust and soil, depositing them on meridian of abandoned features and artifacts. These deposits build upwardly over time, burial the remains. Sometimes catastrophes, like volcanic eruptions, speed up this burying process. In places where earth has been carved away—like in the Chiliad Coulee in the U.S. land of Arizona—you tin actually run across the layers of soil that accept congenital up over the centuries, similar layers of a cake.

Cities and communities too tend to be built in layers. Rome, Italy, has been an urban eye for thousands of years. The streets of downtown Rome today are several meters higher than they were during the time of Julius Caesar. Centuries of Romans accept congenital information technology upward—medieval dwelling house on elevation of ancient home, mod abode on height of medieval home.

Establishing a dig site in an inhabited area tin exist a very hard process. Non only are the inhabitants of the area inconvenienced, archaeologists don't know what they may discover. Archaeologists looking for an ancient Roman fortress, for example, may have to offset excavate a Renaissance bakery and medieval hospital.

Because about artifacts lie underground, scientists have adult methods to help them figure out where they should dig. Sometimes they choose sites based on old myths and stories well-nigh where people lived or where events occurred. The ancient city of Troy, written well-nigh past Greek poet Homer as early on as 1190 BCE, was thought to be a piece of work of fiction. Homer'southward ballsy poem the Iliad was named subsequently Troy, which the Greeks knew as Ilion. Using the Iliad every bit a guide, High german amateur archeologist Heinrich Schliemann discovered the ruins of the metropolis nearly the town of Hisarlik, Turkey, in 1870. Schliemann's observe helped provide testify that the Trojan War may have actually taken place, and that ancient manuscripts may be based on fact.

Sometimes, archaeologists utilise historical maps to find aboriginal artifacts. In 1973, for instance, archaeologists used historical maps and modern technology to locate the wreck of the USS Monitor, an "ironclad" ship used by the Matrimony during the Civil War. The Monitor sunk in a storm off the declension of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, in 1862. Subsequently archaeologists identified the ironclad, the U.s.a. designated the area as the nation's first marine sanctuary.

Before securing a site, an archaeological squad surveys the area, looking for signs of remains. These might include artifacts on the ground or unusual mounds in the globe. New technology has greatly increased their ability to survey an area. For example, aerial and satellite imagery can show patterns that might non be visible from the basis.

Other technologies give clues about what lies under the surface. These techniques involve radar and sonar. Radar and sonar technologies often use radio waves, electrical currents, and lasers. Archaeologists send these signals into the world. As the signals hit something solid, they bounce back up to the surface. Scientists study the fourth dimension and paths the signals accept to familiarize themselves with the underground landscape.

Accidental finds can also lead archaeologists to dig sites. For case, farmers plowing their fields might come up beyond sherds of pottery. A construction coiffure might discover ruins beneath a building site.

Another monumental discovery was made past accident. In 1974, agricultural workers in Xian, China, were digging a well. They discovered the remains of what turned out to be an enormous mausoleum for Qin Shi Huangdi, Prc's start emperor. The complex includes 8,000 life-sized dirt soldiers, horses, chariots, and arms, popularly known as the Terra Cotta Warriors. The archaeological research surrounding the Terracotta Warriors has provided insight on the organization and leadership style of Qin Shi Huangdi and the evolution of Chinese culture.

Once a site is called, archaeologists must get permission to dig from the landowner. If it is public country, they must obtain the proper permits from the local, state, or federal regime.

Before moving a single grain of clay, archaeologists brand maps of the area and accept detailed photographs. Once they begin earthworks, they will destroy the original landscape, and so information technology is important to record how things looked beforehand.

The last footstep before digging is to divide the site into a grid to keep rails of the location of each discover. Then archaeologists choose sample squares from the grid to dig. This allows the archaeological team to class a consummate written report of the area. They as well exit some plots on the filigree untouched. Archaeologists like to preserve portions of their dig sites for future scientists to written report—scientists who may have meliorate tools and techniques than are available today.

For instance, during the Bang-up Low in the 1930s, programs to create jobs led to many archaeological digs around the United States. Some scientists on these digs removed artifacts, such as pottery, simply threw away charcoal and beast basic. These items were considered junk. Today, scientists are able to carbon-engagement the charcoal and analyze the bones to come across what kinds of animals people were domesticating and eating at the fourth dimension. It is important that archaeologists today keep some parts of each site pristine.

Not all archaeology involves digging in the earth. Archaeologists and engineers work with sophisticated technology to probe the globe below without disturbing the basis. National Geographic Emerging Explorer Dr. Albert Yu-Min Lin leads an innovative archaeological project centered in Mongolia. The Valley of the Khans projection is using digital imaging, aerial photography, radar, and digital surveying to locate the tomb of Genghis Khan. Using satellite technology, Lin and his squad can access data virtually the project without disturbing the state or even going to Mongolia.

The Big Dig

The process of researching and securing a dig site can take years. Digging is the field work of archaeology. On occasion, archaeologists might need to move earth with bulldozers and backhoes. Unremarkably, however, archaeologists use tools such as brushes, hand shovels, and even toothbrushes to scrape away the earth around artifacts.

The virtually common tool that archaeologists use to dig is a flat trowel. A trowel is a hand-held shovel used for smoothing as well as digging. Archaeologists use trowels to slowly scrape away soil. For very pocket-sized or frail remains, archaeologists might also dig with dental picks, spoons, or very fine blades. Often, they volition sift dirt through a fine mesh screen. Tiny remains, such as chaplet, can oft be found this way.

Archaeologists take lots of notes and photographs along each step of the process. Sometimes they include audio and video recordings. Global positioning system (GPS) units and data from geographic information systems (GIS) help them map the location of various features with a loftier level of precision.

When archaeologists find remains, they are oftentimes broken or damaged afterward hundreds or fifty-fifty thousands of years clandestine. Sunlight, pelting, soil, animals, bacteria, and other natural processes can cause artifacts to erode, rust, rot, break, and warp.

Sometimes, however, natural processes can aid preserve materials. For example, sediments from floods or volcanic eruptions can encase materials and preserve them. In one instance, the chill of an Alpine glacier preserved the body of a human for more than 5,300 years! The discoverer of the and then-called "Iceman," found in the Alps between Switzerland and Italy, thought he was a recent victim of murder, or one of the glacier's crevasses. Forensic archaeologists studying his body were surprised to acquire that he was a murder victim—the offense just took place more than five,000 years ago.

Uncovered Artifacts

As artifacts are uncovered, the archaeological team records every step of the process through photos, drawings, and notes. One time the artifacts take been completely removed, they are cleaned, labeled, and classified.

Particularly fragile or damaged artifacts are sent to a conservator. Conservators have special preparation in preserving and restoring artifacts so they are not destroyed when exposed to air and light. Textiles, including article of clothing and bedding, are peculiarly threatened by exposure. Textile conservators must exist familiar with climate, besides as the chemic limerick of the cloth and dyes, in order to preserve the artifacts.

In 1961, Swedish archaeologists recovered the ship Vasa, which sank in 1628. Conservators protected the delicate oak structure of Vasa by spraying information technology with polyethylene glycol (PEG). The transport was sprayed with PEG for 17 years, and immune to dry for 9. Today, Vasa sits in its ain enormous museum, a authentication of Swedish heritage.

Then the artifacts are sent to a lab for analysis. This is usually the well-nigh time-consuming function of archaeology. For every solar day spent earthworks, archaeologists spend several weeks processing their finds in the lab.

All of this analysis—counting, weighing, categorizing—is necessary. Archaeologists use the information they observe and combine it with what other scientists have discovered. They use the combined data to add together to the story of humanity'due south past. When did people develop tools, and how did they employ them? What did they use to make habiliment? Did their clothing styles indicate their social ranks and roles? What did they eat? Did they alive in large groups or smaller family unit units? Did they trade with people from other regions? Were they warlike or peaceful? What were their religious practices? Archaeologists ask all of these questions and more than.

The scientists write up their findings and publish them in scientific journals. Other scientists tin look at the information and contend the interpretations, helping us get the virtually authentic story. Publication besides lets the public know what scientists are learning about our history.

archaeology

Not all archaeologists are as swashbuckling as Indiana Jones and Lara Croft. Some, just not all.

Sherds and Shards
Many archaeologists report cleaved bits of pottery. These fragments are called potsherds, and sometimes only sherds. Sherds tin can be anything from bits of a cleaved water jug to a slice of a clay tablet to the components of Red china's "Terra cotta Warriors."

Shards are broken bits of drinking glass, which are besides of import to archæology. Shards include fragments of ancient windows, vino bottles, and jewelry.

Trashy Science
Virtually archaeologists study the by, merely some study people who are still alive. For example, Dr. William Rathje uses his archaeological skills to dig through nowadays-day garbage bins and landfills to learn nigh what Americans consume, discard, and waste matter.

Ancient Cannibals
Some ancient humans may have indulged in cannibalism on a regular ground. Archaeologists discovered 800,000-year-old remains from an early on human species, Homo antecessor, in a Spanish cave. Amongst the remains were human bones with marks on them that announced to come from stone tools used to prepare meals.

The ABCs of Dating
Sometimes dates are listed as BC or AD. Other times they show upwardly every bit BCE or CE. What is the difference?

BC stands for Before Christ, and it is used to appointment events that happened before the birth of Jesus, whom Christians consider the son of God. Advertising refers to Anno Domini, Latin for year of our Lord, and refers to all the years from Jesus birth onward. In the late 20th century, scientists realized they were basing the entire history of the world around the birth of one religious figure.

Many archeologists now prefer the terms BCE (Earlier Mutual Era) and CE (Mutual Era). The dates are still the same, only the letters accept changed.

abandoned

Describing word

deserted.

accurate

Adjective

exact.

Acropolis

Noun

large, flat-topped colina that is the highest point of the city of Athens, Hellenic republic.

aerial photograph

Noun

picture of part of the World's surface, ordinarily taken from an airplane.

Noun

the fine art and science of cultivating land for growing crops (farming) or raising livestock (ranching).

alpine glacier

Noun

mass of ice that moves downwardly from a mountain.

Alps

Plural Noun

(highest height: Mont Blanc, 4,807 meters/15,771 feet) large mountain range in southern Europe.

amateur

Adjective

person who studies and works at an activity or interest without financial benefit or being formally trained in information technology.

administrator

Noun

person who represents a place, arrangement, or idea.

analysis

Noun

procedure of studying a problem or situation, identifying its characteristics and how they are related.

beginnings

Noun

family unit (genealogical) or historical background.

aboriginal

Describing word

very sometime.

antiquity

Substantive

aboriginal object.

archaeologist

Noun

person who studies artifacts and lifestyles of aboriginal cultures.

Substantive

report of homo history, based on material remains.

Substantive

textile remains of a culture, such as tools, wearable, or nutrient.

artillery

Substantive

weapons that launch or burn down big projectiles, such as cannons or catapults.

assess

Verb

to evaluate or determine the amount of.

backhoe

Substantive

big slice of structure equipment consisting of a digging bucket on a maneuverable arm.

Plural Noun

(singular: bacterium) single-celled organisms plant in every ecosystem on Globe.

Bible

Substantive

holy volume of the Christian religion.

bulldozer

Noun

vehicle used for moving large obstacles, such as boulders or trees.

carbon-appointment

Verb

to estimate the age of an organism by tracking the decay of the isotope carbon-14. As well called radiocarbon dating.

catastrophe

Noun

disaster or sudden, tearing alter.

charcoal

Noun

carbon material made by burning woods or other organic textile with little air.

chariot

Noun

vehicle with ii or four wheels and pulled by horses.

Christianity

Noun

organized religion based on the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth.

Noun

complex way of life that developed as humans began to develop urban settlements.

Civil War

Noun

(1860-1865) American conflict between the Spousal relationship (northward) and Confederacy (south).

classicist

Noun

person who studies ancient Greek and Roman culture.

climate

Noun

all weather conditions for a given location over a period of time.

Clovis people

Noun

(13000-9000 BCE) 1 of the first people and cultures native to North America. Also chosen Llano.

Clovis point

Noun

style of rock pocketknife, spearhead, or arrowhead (projectile betoken) found throughout North America and associated with the ancient Clovis culture.

Noun

night, solid fossil fuel mined from the earth.

Substantive

edge of country along the sea or other big body of h2o.

bury

Noun

box containing the torso of a dead person.

colonialism

Noun

type of government where a geographic expanse is ruled by a foreign power.

commercial

Describing word

having to do with the ownership and selling of goods and services.

customs

Substantive

group of organisms or a social group interacting in a specific region under like ecology conditions.

complex

Adjective

complicated.

conflict

Substantive

a disagreement or fight, usually over ideas or procedures.

conservator

Noun

person who repairs, restores, or maintains the quality of valuable items.

Substantive

part of a continent that extends underwater to the deep-ocean flooring.

controversy

Noun

disagreement or debate.

Substantive

deep scissure, specially in a glacier.

CT scanner

Noun

(computerized tomography scanner) device combining 10-ray and computerized equipment to provide cantankerous-sectional images of internal body structures. Also chosen a CAT scanner.

cultural heritage

Substantive

traditions and customs of a specific population.

cultural resource management

Substantive

the practise of studying and preserving ancient remains on sites where construction is scheduled to occur.

Substantive

steady, predictable menstruum of fluid inside a larger trunk of that fluid.

data

Plural Substantive

(singular: datum) information collected during a scientific report.

Expressionless Bounding main Scrolls

Noun

(100 BCE - 135 CE) leather, papyrus, and copper scrolls containing ancient Jewish writings.

debate

Verb

to debate or disagree in a formal setting.

decipher

Verb

to effigy out or interpret.

decree

Substantive

formal or legal society.

deduce

Verb

to reach a conclusion based on clues or evidence.

demotic

Noun

(700 BCE - 400 CE) breezy written language of ancient Egypt.

dental pick

Noun

pocket-sized, precipitous instrument used to remove material from teeth.

designate

Verb

to proper noun or single out.

digital imaging

Substantive

process of creating, processing, storing, and displaying images made from binary code.

diplomatic relations

Noun

the formal ties betwixt nations.

discipline

Substantive

field of study.

illness

Noun

harmful status of a trunk part or organ.

Dna

Noun

(deoxyribonucleic acid) molecule in every living organism that contains specific genetic data on that organism.

domesticate

Verb

to tame or adapt for human use.

Noun

tiny, dry particles of material solid plenty for current of air to bear.

dye

Noun

paint used to color material or some other object.

earthquake

Noun

the sudden shaking of World's crust caused by the release of energy along mistake lines or from volcanic activity.

economic

Describing word

having to do with money.

Egyptologist

Noun

person who studies the culture and history of ancient Arab republic of egypt.

Elgin Marbles

Noun

(440-430 BCE) large drove of aboriginal Greek statuary displayed in the British Museum, London, England. Also called the Parthenon Marbles.

Emerging Explorer

Noun

an adventurer, scientist, innovator, or storyteller recognized by National Geographic for their visionary piece of work while still early in their careers.

emperor

Noun

ruler of an empire.

encase

Verb

to enclose or completely confine.

engineer

Substantive

person who plans the building of things, such equally structures (construction engineer) or substances (chemical engineer).

enormous

Adjective

very big.

ecology archaeologist

Substantive

person who studies how environmental conditions influenced people in the past.

ethnoarchaeologist

Substantive

person who studies how people today use and organize objects in order to understand how they used and organized objects in the past.

evergreen

Substantive

tree that does non lose its leaves.

excavate

Verb

to expose by digging.

experimental archaeologist

Substantive

person who replicates techniques and processes used to create or use objects in the past.

exploit

Verb

to use or accept advantage of for turn a profit.

explorer

Noun

person who studies unknown areas.

Explorer-in-Residence

Substantive

pre-eminent explorers and scientists collaborating with the National Geographic Guild to make groundbreaking discoveries that generate critical scientific information, conservation-related initiatives and compelling stories.

extend

Verb

to enlarge or continue.

extinct

Describing word

no longer existing.

familiarize

Verb

to sympathize how something works or operates.

feature

Noun

non-portable archaeological remains, such every bit pyramids or mail-holes.

fiction

Noun

media, such as books or films, that are imaginative and not truthful stories.

Noun

scientific studies washed outside of a lab, classroom, or office.

Noun

overflow of a torso of water onto land.

fluent

Adjective

able to speak, write, and sympathise a linguistic communication.

Noun

material, unremarkably of plant or animal origin, that living organisms utilize to obtain nutrients.

forensic archaeologist

Noun

person who excavates and studies the remains and artifacts surrounding areas containing graves, or sites of murder or genocide.

formal

Describing word

official or standardized.

fortress

Noun

protected place. Also called a fort.

fragile

Substantive

delicate or hands broken.

geneticist

Noun

scientist who studies the chemistry, behavior, and purposes of Deoxyribonucleic acid, genes, and chromosomes.

Genghis Khan

Substantive

(1162-1227) founder of the Mongol empire.

genocide

Noun

intentional mass murder of a specific religious, cultural, or ethnic group.

Noun

any system for capturing, storing, checking, and displaying data related to positions on the Globe'southward surface.

Noun

mass of ice that moves slowly over state.

Global Positioning System (GPS)

Noun

system of satellites and receiving devices used to make up one's mind the location of something on Earth.

glyph

Substantive

written mark or sign that indicates the significant of what is written, such as a letter or symbol.

Noun

deep, narrow valley with steep sides, usually smaller than a coulee.

govern

Verb

to make public-policy decisions for a grouping or individuals.

government

Noun

system or order of a nation, state, or other political unit of measurement.

Grand Canyon

Noun

big gorge made by the Colorado River in the U.S. state of Arizona.

grave robber

Noun

person who steals valuable objects from a tomb, mausoleum, or other burial site.

Not bad Depression

Noun

(1929-1941) period of very low economical activeness in the U.South. and throughout the world.

grid

Substantive

horizontal and vertical lines used to locate objects in relation to one another on a map.

Hebrew Bible

Noun

holy writings of the Jewish faith that stand for with the Old Testament writings of the Christian religion. Also called the Hebrew Scriptures.

Heinrich Schliemann

Substantive

(1822-1890) German language archaeologist.

heritage

Noun

cultural or family unit background.

hieroglyphics

Plural Noun

written language using images to stand for words.

highlands

Plural Noun

plateau or elevated region of land.

historical map

Noun

representation of spatial information displaying sites of historical interest.

historic archaeology

Noun

study of people, culture, and civilizations that developed writing systems.

Homer

Noun

(~800 BCE) probably fictitious author of the ancient Greek epics The Iliad and The Odyssey.

hypothesis

Noun

statement or suggestion that explains certain questions most certain facts. A hypothesis is tested to make up one's mind if it is accurate.

Iceman

Noun

(3300-3255 BCE) naturally mummified body of a homo found in the Alps between Italia and Switzerland. Nicknamed "Otzi."

Iliad

Noun

(~750 BCE) epic by the Greek poet Homer, near events of the Trojan War.

inconvenience

Verb

to disturb or bother.

industrial archeology

Noun

study of the materials created during the Industrial Revolution.

Industrial Revolution

Substantive

modify in economic and social activities, offset in the 18th century, brought past the replacement of mitt tools with machinery and mass production.

influence

Verb

to encourage or persuade a person or organization to act a certain way.

infrastructure

Noun

structures and facilities necessary for the functioning of a society, such as roads.

inhabit

Verb

to alive in a specific identify.

innovative

Adjective

new, avant-garde, or original.

inscribe

Verb

to mark or engrave a surface.

iron

Noun

chemical element with the symbol Fe.

ironclad

Noun

steam-propelled warship protected by plates of fe or another metallic.

Jewish

Adjective

having to do with the religion or culture of people tracing their ancestry to the ancient Eye Eastward and the spiritual leaders Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Judaism

Noun

faith based on the holy book of the Torah and the teaching surrounding information technology.

Julius Caesar

Noun

(100 BCE-44 BCE) leader of ancient Rome.

Khmer Rouge

Noun

(1975-1979) communist, dictatorial regime of Cambodia led past Pol Pot.

Killing Fields

Noun

sites in Kingdom of cambodia where thousands of victims of the Khmer Rouge government are buried in mass graves.

Kon-Tiki

Substantive

(1947) raft used by explorer Thor Heyerdahl to sail from South America to the Polynesian islands.

lab

Noun

(laboratory) place where scientific experiments are performed.

Noun

the geographic features of a region.

light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation

Noun

(acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation) an instrument that emits a thin beam of light that does not fade over long distances.

Latin

Noun

language of ancient Rome and the Roman Empire.

limestone

Noun

type of sedimentary rock mostly made of calcium carbonate from shells and skeletons of marine organisms.

linguist

Noun

person who studies language.

lobby

Verb

to endeavour to influence the action of authorities or other authority.

magnificent

Adjective

very impressive.

manufacturing

Noun

production of appurtenances or products in a manufactory.

manuscript

Noun

written textile.

marble

Noun

type of metamorphic rock.

Noun

part of the sea protected by the government to preserve its natural and cultural features while assuasive people to use and relish information technology in a sustainable way.

mass grave

Noun

large burial site with many corpses, usually unidentified.

mausoleum

Noun

impressive tomb or burial site.

Maya

Noun

people and culture native to southeastern Mexico and Cardinal America.

medieval

Adjective

having to do with the Middle Ages (500-1400) in Europe.

merchant

Substantive

person who sells goods and services.

mesh

noun, adjective

canvass of wires woven together with small, uniform openings.

monarch

Substantive

male monarch or queen.

Monitor

Noun

(1861-1862) steam-powered military ship protected by metal plates (an "ironclad") commissioned by the U.S. Navy during the Civil War.

monolith

Noun

tall column or statue made from a single block of stone.

monument

Noun

large structure representing an consequence, idea, or person.

mummy

Noun

corpse of a person or animal that has been preserved past natural environmental conditions or man techniques.

murder

Verb

to impale a person.

museum

Noun

space where valuable works of art, history, or scientific discipline are kept for public view.

myth

Noun

legend or traditional story.

Napoleon Bonaparte

Noun

(1769-1821) military general and emperor of France.

navigate

Verb

to plan and directly the form of a journey.

nomadic

Adjective

having to do with a fashion of life defective permanent settlement.

Noun

substance an organism needs for energy, growth, and life.

obtain

Verb

to get or have possession of.

Ottoman Empire

Noun

(1299-1923) empire based in Turkey and stretching throughout southern Europe, the Eye East, and North Africa.

overwork

Verb

to demand too much of someone or something.

paleopathology

Substantive

study of the history of a disease or the history of affliction in aboriginal cultures.

parchment

Substantive

carefully prepared skin of goats or other animals used as material on which to write.

Parthenon

Noun

(438 BCE) ancient temple to the goddess Athena on the Acropolis of Athens, Hellenic republic.

allow

Substantive

official, written permission to practise something. Sometimes called a license.

Noun

ruler of ancient Egypt.

turn

substantive, verb

tool used for cut, lifting, and turning the soil in preparation for planting.

plunder

Verb

to rob or steal.

Polynesia

Noun

island group in the Pacific Bounding main between New Zealand, Hawaii, and Easter Isle.

portable

Describing word

able to be hands transported from 1 place to another.

mail-hole

Noun

low where supports (posts) for a structure in one case stood.

pottery

Noun

pots, vessels, or other textile made from clay or ceramic.

pre-Columbian

Adjective

having to do with the Americas before the inflow of Christopher Columbus in 1492.

prehistoric

Adjective

menses of time that occurred earlier the invention of written records.

prehistoric archaeology

Noun

written report of people, civilisation, and civilizations that did not develop writing systems.

prior

Adjective

before or ahead of.

pristine

Adjective

pure or unpolluted.

projectile point

Noun

archaeological term used to describe a sharp rock tool that could be thrown (projected), such as an arrowhead, spearhead, dart, or blade.

prophecy

Noun

prediction of the future.

psalm

Noun

sacred song or musical poem.

Ptolemy I

Noun

(367-283 BCE) Greek general who became pharaoh of Arab republic of egypt. Also called Ptolemy Soter.

Ptolemy Five

Noun

(210-181 BCE) Egyptian pharaoh. Also chosen Ptolemy Epiphanes.

publish

Verb

to provide a written slice of work, such equally a book or newspaper, for sale or distribution.

Substantive

3-dimensional shape with a foursquare base and triangular sides that meet in a point.

Qin Shi Huangdi

Noun

(259-210 BCE) first emperor of Prc.

radar

Noun

(RAdio Detection And Ranging) method of determining the presence and location of an object using radio waves.

radiocarbon dating

Substantive

to judge the age of an organism past tracking the decay of the isotope carbon-xiv. Also chosen carbon-dating.

radio wave

Noun

electromagnetic wave with a wavelength between ane millimeter and 30,000 meters, or a frequency between 10 kilohertz and 300,000 megahertz.

raw material

Noun

affair that needs to be processed into a production to use or sell.

regime

Noun

system of government.

Renaissance

Noun

period of smashing development in scientific discipline, art, and economy in Western Europe from the 14th to the 17th centuries.

Robert Ballard

Noun

(1942-nowadays) oceanographer and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence.

Roman Empire

Noun

(27 BCE-476 CE) period in the history of ancient Rome when the country was ruled by an emperor.

Rosetta Stone

Noun

(196 BCE) large black stone carved with a decree about the coronation of Pharaoh Ptolemy V. The decree is carved in iii languages: Greek, demotic, and hieroglyphic.

rot

Verb

to decay or spoil.

rust

Verb

to deliquesce and form a brittle coating, as fe does when exposed to air and moisture.

San

Substantive

people and culture native to southern Africa. Also called Bushmen.

sand

Noun

small, loose grains of disintegrated rocks.

satellite imagery

Noun

photographs of a planet taken by or from a satellite.

scholar

Noun

educated person.

scientific journal

Noun

magazine that focuses on developments in scientific research.

scientific method

Noun

method of enquiry in which a question is asked, information are gathered, a hypothesis is made, and the hypothesis is tested.

script

Noun

text or system of writing.

scroll

Noun

rolled-up sail of paper or other sparse material for writing.

Noun

increase in the boilerplate reach of the bounding main. The electric current body of water level rise is i.8 millimeters (.07 inch) per year.

Noun

solid material transported and deposited past water, ice, and current of air.

sherd

Noun

fragment of pottery. As well shard.

shipwreck

Noun

remains of a sunken marine vessel.

sift

Verb

to split up larger pieces of material from smaller ones.

significant

Adjective

important or impressive.

sincere

Adjective

genuine or real.

slab

Noun

flat, thick piece of material such as earth or rock.

soil

Noun

top layer of the Globe'due south surface where plants can abound.

sonar

Noun

method of determining the presence and location of an object using sound waves (echolocation).

sophisticated

Describing word

knowledgeable or complex.

specific

Adjective

exact or precise.

starvation

Noun

dying from lack of food.

Stonehenge

Noun

prehistoric monument in Salisbury Plain, England.

storm

Noun

severe atmospheric condition indicating a disturbed country of the temper resulting from uplifted air.

subdiscipline

Noun

subject field inside a larger area of inquiry.

submerge

Verb

to put underwater.

subway

Noun

underground railway; a pop form of public transportation in large urban areas.

survey

Noun

a written report or analysis of characteristics of an expanse or a population.

organization

Noun

collection of items or organisms that are linked and related, performance as a whole.

tax

Substantive

money or goods citizens provide to government in return for public services such as armed services protection.

technology

Noun

the science of using tools and complex machines to make human life easier or more profitable.

temple

Substantive

building used for worship.

Terra Cotta Warriors

Noun

(~210 BCE) collection of thousands of life-size clay figures of soldiers, horses, chariots, and other artifacts in Xian, China, cached with Qin Shi Huangdi, China'southward get-go emperor.

Noun

land an beast, human, or government protects from intruders.

fabric

Noun

cloth or other woven fabric.

Thor Heyerdahl

Noun

(1914-2002) Norwegian explorer.

timber

Noun

wood in an unfinished form, either copse or logs.

time-consuming

Adjective

taking a long time to finish.

Titanic

Substantive

luxury prowl ship that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in 1912.

tomb

Noun

enclosed burial place.

trade

Substantive

buying, selling, or exchanging of goods and services.

transportation engineer

Substantive

person who plans, designs, and maintains facilities for transporting people and goods.

Trojan State of war

Substantive

(~1194-1184 BCE) ancient conflict betwixt the Greeks and the Trojans, written about by ancient poets and historians in works such as the Iliad.

trowel

Substantive

paw-held shovel with a flat blade.

Troy

Noun

ancient metropolis on the Aegean coast of what is now northwestern Turkey. Also called Troia and Ilion.

tunnel-boring machine

Noun

enormous motorcar that drills tunnels for subways or underground railway lines.

Tutankhamun

Noun

(1341-1323 BCE) Egyptian pharaoh.

underwater archaeologist

Substantive

person who studies artifacts and features institute at the bottom of lakes, rivers, and oceans.

Union

Adjective

having to practise with states supporting the U.s.a. (north) during the U.South. Ceremonious War.

urban middle

Noun

densely populated expanse, usually a city and its surrounding suburbs.

vast

Adjective

huge and spread out.

volcanic eruption

Noun

activity that includes a discharge of gas, ash, or lava from a volcano.

warp

Verb

to bend out of shape.

wealthy

Adjective

very rich.

Noun

movement of air (from a loftier pressure level zone to a low pressure zone) caused by the uneven heating of the World by the sunday.

10-ray

Noun

radiation in the electromagnetic spectrum with a very short wavelength and very high energy.