A measure of the length of time since the death of a living organism based on the rate of decay of the radioactive carbon isotope carbon 14. This form of dating can only be used for dates up to 50,000 BP
Sieving
Filtering the dig sediments through fine mesh screens to ensure that no small objects have been missed by the trowel
Law of superposition
This law states that in any pile of objects such as dirty dishes or clothes that have not been disturbed, the objects on the bottom were deposited first
Archaeology
The study of the human culture of the past
Trowelling
The process of gently and carefully scraping away the sediment by removing only 1-2 cm depth at a time. The "floor" of the pit should be kept as even as possible at all times
Absolute dating
A specific date obtained by measurement or calculation. It always states the time in actual years before present (B.P.) or in millions of years ago (M.Y.A.)
In situ
Finding an artefact "in place", i.e. totally undisturbed since it was deposited in that particular location
Fieldjacket
The plaster and gauze casts that protect the large, heavy bones on their way to the labs
Inorganic remains
A type of artefact used or manufactured by humans and can be made of a variety of raw materials such as ceramics, bone, leather, grass, bark, wood, metal, etc.
Seriation
A method of dating artefacts based on the idea that older objects are more simple in construction and style than more recent objects
