Glossary

Axial skeleton The central portion of the skeleton made up of the cranium, vertebral column, ribs, and sternum. consolidant A chemical substance that is applied to the surface of an object and acts to stabilize fragile material.

Datum A predetermined, fixed reference point against which all vertical and horizontal measurements are made on a site. It is usually a permanent feature on the site. flotation An archaeological technique used to recover trace remnants of materials like plants, shells, and charcoal by adding water to soil samples and allowing the lighter materials to float to the surface for collection.

Geomagnetometry A geophysical method that detects distortions in the Earth’s magnetic field caused by subsurface features like pits, ditches, hearths, and other structures. ground penetrating radar (GPR) A geophysical method of subsurface detection that sends electromagnetic pulses through the soil that reflect back any significant changes in soil caused by the presence of pits or structures, etc. ossuary A container or large structure (e. g., a vault) used to house human skeletal remains.

Resistivity survey A geophysical method that measures the degree of resistance in the soil to the passage of an electric current between two electrodes. Features that retain more moisture, such as pits, will have lower resistivity than more permanent features such as walls or roads.

Total station A mapping instrument that electronically records data collected in the field (distance, elevation, and angle), which can then be downloaded directly to a computer. transit An instrument used to plot the location of trenches or mapping features in an excavation. It records the horizontal distance and vertical angle between a predetermined reference point and the feature being mapped.