Anth 140
Summer 2007
Lab 1 ANTH 140, Summer 2007
Name:
ID:
Station 1
Midden Excavation:
You are going to examine excavated archaeological samples from one of several
archaeological middens; a shell midden in Santa Cruz Island, California, a historic midden in
Santa Barbara Presidio, and a prehistoric midden at the Black Dog Mesa Basketmaker
Pithouse site in the American Southwest. Middens are like garbage deposits, they can
provide clues about subsistence practices, tools, and other artifacts used by ancient peoples.
In this exercise, you are going to choose one of the midden samples and sort through it (e.g.,
separate the shell from the bone and ceramics). Please make sure that you are NOT mixing
materials between trays. Be careful not to hurt yourself (there could be sharp bone and/or
shell) and treat them gently, since many of the samples are fragile.
1. Which site did you examine?
2. What kind of site do you think this was (e.g., food processing, tool workshop,
etc.)? What evidence is there to support your idea?
3. List the materials that you found (e.g., bone, shell, ceramics):
4. What was the most abundant?
Anth 140
Station 2
Stratigraphic Profile:
Summer 2007
1. Using the box below, please sketch the stratigraphic profile from the larger one provided.
Include the artifacts and clearly define the different layers.
2. Next to the box, please label the stratigraphic layers from oldest to youngest. Using the Law
of Superposition, which layer is the oldest? Therefore which artifact is the oldest?
Anth 140
Summer 2007
This illustration represents a stratigraphic profile (i.e. you are looking at a vertical cut into the
earth) in which you can see four burials, seven ceramic artifacts, and the remains of a building.
Using stratigraphy, please answer the questions below. Remember that the terms "earlier"
and "older" mean further in the past, and “younger” and “later” are closer to the present.
Anth 140
Summer 2007
1. Is it possible to determine which ceramic vessel is later: 4, 5, or 6? If so, which one?
2. Is it possible to determine which vessel is earlier: 1, 2, or 7? If so, which one?
3. In what order were the burials interred, from oldest to youngest?
4. Which is older, burial W or vessel 1?
5. Was burial Y interred before or after vessel 4?
6. From the information given here, is it possible to determine the absolute dates of the burials?
Anth 140
Summer 2007
Station 3
Excavation Unit:
1. A mock 1m x 1m excavation unit is set up at station 3. As artifacts are uncovered in a level
their provenience is mapped. Please sketch the locations of the artifacts in the box below. Please
include a North arrow next to your sketch.
2. An artifact’s provenience is measured as X cm North and X cm East from the SW corner of
your excavation unit to the middle of the artifact. Using a tape measure, please measure the
locations of one of each of the following artifacts and record them below. Also label in your
sketch which artifacts you chose to measure.
A) Projectile Point: ______cm North and ______cm East from the SW Corner to the middle of
the artifact.
B) Ceramic sherd: ______cm North and ______ cm East from the SW Corner to the middle of
the artifact.
C) Shell: ______cm North and ______ cm East from the SW Corner to the middle of the artifact.