Chapter 9 Terminology Flashcards

1
Q

Appendicular skeleton

A

All parts of an animal excluding the axial skeleton.

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2
Q

Axial skeleton

A

The head, mandibles, vertebrae, ribs, sacrum and tail of an animal skeleton.

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3
Q

Ch’ arki

A

Native South American (Quechua) term for freezed-dried llama and alpaca meat.

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4
Q

Comparative collection

A

A skeletal collection of modern fauna of both sexes and different ages used to make identifications of archaeofaunas.

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5
Q

Coprolite

A

Desiccated feces (Αποξηραμένα περιττώματα), often containing macrobotanical remains, pollen and the remains of small animals.

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6
Q

Element

A

In faunal analysis, a specific skeletal part of the body - for example, humerus or sternum.

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7
Q

Faunal analysis

A

Identification and interpretation of animal remains from an archaeological site.

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8
Q

Faunal assemblage

A

Identification and interpretation of animal remains from an archaeological site.

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9
Q

Holocence

A

The post-Pleiocence geological epoch that began about 10,000 radiocarbon years ago and continues today.

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10
Q

Kill sites

A

Places where animals were killed in the past.

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11
Q

Lipids

A

Organic substances - including fats, oils, and waxes - that resist mixing with water; found in both plant and animal tissues.

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12
Q

Macrobotanical Remains

A

Nonmicroscopic plant that remains recovered from an archaeological site.

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13
Q

Minimum number of individuals (MNI)

A

The smallest number of individuals necessary to account for all identified bones.

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14
Q

Number of identified specimens (NISP)

A

The raw number of identified bones (specimens) per species

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15
Q

Paleoethnobotanist

A

An archaeologist who analyzes and interprets plant remains from archaeological sites in order to understand the past interactions between human populations and plants.

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16
Q

Palynology

A

The study of fossil pollen grains and spores to reconstruct past climates and human behavior

17
Q

Phytoliths

A

Tiny silica particles contained in plants. Sometimes these fragments can be recovered from archaeological sites, even after the plants themselves have decayed.

18
Q

Pollen diagram

A

A chart showing the changing frequencies of different identified pollens through time from samples taken from archaeological or other sites.

19
Q

Puna

A

Native American (Quechua) term for the treeless, windswept tablelands and basins of the higher Andes.

20
Q

Seasonality

A

An estimate of what part of the year a particular archaeological site was occupied.

21
Q

Size classes

A

A categorization of faunal remains, not to taxon (ταξινομικής ομάδας), but to one of five categories based on body size.

22
Q

Taxon

A

In faunal analysis, the classification of a skeletal element to a taxonomic category - species, genus, family, or order.

23
Q

Wood rats (pack rats)

A

Rodents that build nests of organic materials and thus preserve a record, often for thousands of years, of changing plant species within the local area of the nest.

24
Q

Zooarchaeolostist

A

An individual who specializes in the study of animal remains recovered from archaeological sites.