Deck 2: The Variety of the Evidence

Question 1

Typically,the most destructive types of climate for organic materials are

A)tropical climates
B)polar climates
C)temperate climates
D)it makes little difference

Answer 1

tropical climates

Question 2

The material immediately surrounding an artifact,usually some sediment such as gravel,sand,or clay,is known as the

A)dirt
B)find spot
C)site
D)matrix

Answer 2

matrix

Question 3

The major archaeological problem with waterlogged finds,particularly those made out of wood,is

A)that they are always too big to fit in museum laboratories
B)that currently we have no scientific methods to preserve them
C)that wood preserves in all conditions,making waterlogged wood redundant
D)that they deteriorate rapidly when they are removed from the water
E)all of the above

Answer 3

that they deteriorate rapidly when they are removed from the water

Question 4

Temperate climates are not usually conducive to organic preservation at archaeological sites because of

A)variable temperatures and fluctuating precipitation
B)steady humidity
C)hyper-aridity
D)water saturation

Question 5

The Pazyryk bodies,found in ________________,were so well preserved by their constant frozen state that archaeologists not only recovered linen shirts,aprons,and stockings but could also see tattoos

A)southern Siberia
B)southern Sinai
C)South Africa
D)southern Botswana
E)South Carolina

Question 6

Exceptional preservation of "Ötzi," or the "Iceman," found in the Alps in 1991,allowed documentation of his health,past injuries,tattoos,and diet.Radiocarbon dates suggest he lived at about __________

A)300 bc
B)300 ad
C)3300 bc
D)10,000 bc
E)13,000 bc

Question 7

An example of an artifact made of inorganic materials is

A)a plant fiber basket
B)a stone tool
C)an animal bone comb
D)a wood flute
E)none of the above

Question 8

Although the American Southwest did not produce true humanly created mummies as in Egypt,its arid environment nonetheless promoted exceptional preservation when the pueblo dwellers buried their dead

A)in deep pits
B)in special kivas
C)in dry caves
D)under the floors

Question 9

Original human behavior activities,which are a type of cultural formation process,include all of the following except

A)the destruction of a settlement during a mudslide
B)acquisition of raw material
C)use and distribution of goods
D)manufacturing of tools
E)disposal of a broken tool

Question 10

Bog bodies,primarily individuals who met a violent death (such as Tollund Man,from Denmark),are best known from northwest Europe and typically date to the

A)Paleolithic
B)Renaissance
C)Iron Age
D)Industrial Age
E)Medieval Age

Question 11

At Ozette,the extraordinary preservation of such organic materials as wooden containers,baskets,weaving equipment,and fishing and hunting equipment,was the result of

A)a glacier covering the settlement
B)a mudslide covering the settlement
C)a volcano burying the settlement in ash
D)an earthquake causing the settlement to sink

Question 12

An artifact's context includes its

A)matrix
B)provenience
C)association with other finds
D)all of the above
E)both b and c

Question 13

The mummies of the Andes are a good example of exceptional preservation of organic material resulting from its location in a

A)cold climate
B)bog
C)dry cave
D)sandy desert
E) swamp

Question 14

Although peat bogs and wetlands are best known for preserving human remains,preserved _____________ have also been recovered from the wetlands

A)wooden trackways
B)boats
C)fishing nets
D)wooden carts
E)all of the above

Question 15

Formation processes affect the way in which finds came to be buried and what happened to them after their burial.A good example of a natural formation process would be

A)gradual burial of a feature by wind-borne soil
B)the sudden fall of ash over Pompeii
C)slow accumulation of river sediment over a feature
D)gradual burial of an artifact by sand
E)all of the above

Question 16

Objects used,modified or made by people are known as

A)artifacts
B)geofacts
C)ecofacts
D)typologies
E)sites

Question 17

Organic and environmental remains,or ecofacts,which were not made by humans but still provide information about the past include such items as

A)animal bones,plant remains,pottery fragments
B)soils,sediments,animal bones,plant remains
C)stone tools,weapons,pottery
D)soils sediments,animal bones,stone tools,weapons,pottery
E)none of the above

Question 18

The "Ice Maiden," the frozen mummy of a young girl found on the Ampato Volcano in Peru,as well as the preserved bodies found on the peak of Llullaillaco,probably were ceremonial offerings made by which culture?

A)the Mongols
B)the Aztecs
C)the Tyrolians
D)the Incas
E)we do not know what culture the mummies came from

Question 19

Features,essentially non-portable artifacts,include such things as

A)hammers,chisels,and arrowheads
B)animal bones,plant remains,and other ecofacts
C)small villages,houses,and palaces
D)advertisements and the main presentation
E)postholes,hearths,and storage ditches

Question 20

Archaeological sites may be defined quite simply as

A)places where the landscape has changed significantly over time
B)places that are recorded by ancient writers
C)places where significant traces of human activity are identified
D)places where excavated artifacts are displayed
E)none of the above

Question 21

What types of environmental conditions lead to exceptional preservation of ancient remains and why? Include specific examples of different types of preservation.

Question 22

Such metals as gold,silver,and lead corrode and do not survive well in the archaeological record.

Question 23

Natural formation processes include such activities as plowing,building structures,or making tools.

Question 24

Fired clay,such as pottery or baked mud-brick,is virtually indestructible if well fired.

Question 25

The long-term study of an earthwork constructed at Overton Down,England,as experimental archaeology indicates that

A)preservation was better in the chalk bank,and preservation of leather and pottery was unchanged after 4 years
B)preservation was superior in the turf core,and preservation of textiles and other organic material had changed little after 4 years
C)preservation was quite poor regardless of whether artifacts were in chalk or turf,primarily because of rodent and earthworm activity
D)archaeologists have been underestimating the effects of earthworm activity on preservation and site formation processes

Question 26

Survival of organic materials is typically limited to cases of extreme moisture,such as very arid or waterlogged conditions.

Question 27

What is context and why is it so important to archaeologists?

Question 28

Stone tools typically survive very poorly in the archaeological record,and stone artifacts rarely date from before 5000 years ago.

Question 29

Sea water is potentially very destructive,but artifacts recovered from under the sea that are coated with a thick hard casing of metallic salts can often be preserved through the use of electrolysis.

Question 30

Unfortunately no organic remains,such as food,wreaths or funerary bouquets,survived in the tomb of Tutankhamen.

Question 31

Protected from outside climatic effects,caves may act as natural "conservatories," creating local climates that can promote the preservation of organic remains.

Question 32

The discovery of "Ötzi" or the Iceman in 1991 in an alpine glacier revealed to the world the oldest fully preserved human body.What made this such a remarkable find to archaeologists? What specifically did we learn about this man;how he lived,why he died,his health,and his possessions?

Question 33

Dry environments prevent decay through the shortage of water,which allows micro-organisms to survive and flourish,thus preserving organic remains.

Question 34

Provenience is the exact position of a find within the matrix.