Feature excavation

Definition

Feature excavation is a method used in archaeology to investigate specific non-portable elements of a site, such as hearths, postholes, or pits. This technique focuses on uncovering and analyzing these features to gather information about past human activities and the spatial organization of a site. By carefully documenting the context and stratigraphy of these features, archaeologists can piece together insights into the cultural practices and environmental interactions of historical populations.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Feature excavation typically involves a detailed process that includes mapping, recording stratigraphy, and carefully removing soil to expose features.
2. This method is essential for understanding how people interacted with their environment and organized their living spaces.
3. Different types of features can provide varied insights; for example, hearths may reveal cooking practices while postholes can indicate structures.
4. Documentation during feature excavation includes photographs, drawings, and written descriptions to ensure accurate records are kept for analysis.
5. The results from feature excavations contribute to broader archaeological interpretations by providing context about daily life and social organization in ancient communities.

Review Questions

• How does feature excavation differ from other excavation methods in archaeology?
  • Feature excavation specifically targets non-portable elements like hearths and postholes that are critical for understanding past human behaviors. Unlike broader excavation methods that might focus on removing large amounts of soil or artifacts for general analysis, feature excavation emphasizes the careful recovery and documentation of specific site components. This targeted approach allows archaeologists to draw more precise conclusions about cultural practices and site organization.
• Discuss the importance of context in feature excavation and how it influences archaeological interpretations.
  • Context plays a vital role in feature excavation as it provides insight into how artifacts and features relate to each other within a site. Understanding the spatial relationships and stratigraphic layers helps archaeologists reconstruct the sequence of human activities over time. Without this context, interpretations could be misleading; hence, careful documentation during excavation ensures that the historical significance of features is accurately understood within their environmental and cultural framework.
• Evaluate how findings from feature excavations can contribute to our understanding of past societies and their environments.
  • Findings from feature excavations offer invaluable data on how past societies adapted to their environments and organized their communities. By analyzing specific features like cooking areas or storage pits, archaeologists can infer subsistence strategies, social hierarchies, and community interactions. This detailed information not only enhances our knowledge of individual sites but also aids in constructing broader narratives about cultural development, environmental change, and human resilience across different time periods.

Related terms

Stratigraphy:

The study of rock layers and layering, which helps in understanding the temporal sequence of features and artifacts in an archaeological context.

Site Survey: A systematic examination of an area to identify archaeological features, artifacts, and sites, often serving as a preliminary step before excavation.

Context: The relationship of artifacts and features to one another in space and time, crucial for interpreting their significance in archaeology.