Neolithic period the late Stone Age period extending from 8000 b.c. to the advent of the Bronze Age, noted for the development of human settlements, advancing farming techniques, textile weaving, and the domestication of animals.
nitrogen dating a method of determining age by measuring the loss of nitrogen in bone, which occurs at a known rate.
obsidian a volcanically formed glass that primitive people used to make very sharp blades and cutting tools.
Paleoindians the earliest known people living in the Americas.
Paleolithic period the early Stone Age period, from 2 million years ago to roughly 10,000 b.c., noted for its hunter-gatherer human ancestors and their increasing sophistication in the construction of stone tools.
paleopathology the study of diseases of the past, and the evidence of injuries and illnesses as found on skeletons.
palynologist one who studies pollens and spores. Preserved specimens can provide a picture of what the local plant ecology might have been like at a given time.
petroglyph a carving, inscription, or work of art on a stone.
pictograph a picture painted on a rock.
Piltdown man prehuman fossils found in Piltdown, England, in 1908, thought to be up to a million years old and touted as the great "missing link," but later proved to be part of a hoax.
pipe stem dating a dating method that helps determine the age of American colonial sites by measuring clay pipe stem diameters, which were typically reduced in size from 1620 to 1800.
point see projectile point.
post mold a circular discoloration of ground, left from the rotting of a post.
potassium-argon dating a method of determining the age of a lava flow by measuring the rate at which its potassium-40 content decays into argon.
pot hunting the looting of archaeological sites, often by thieves wanting to sell in the antiquities market.
potsherd a piece of broken pottery; an archaeological artifact.
primitive ancient, prehistoric; crude and unsophisticated.
projectile point any stone point attached to either a spear or an arrow.
proton magnetometer a device composed of a sensor and a recording device that is moved over the surface of a site in a grid pattern to locate magnetic anomalies underground, the source of which could be anything from an iron object to pottery kilns, hearths, or tombs.
provenance the source or documented history of ownership of an artifact, used in archaeology to establish authenticity and therefore value. Also synonymous with provenience, although provenience is sometimes defined as the exact location where an artifact is found.
radiocarbon dating see carbon-14 dating.
radiometric dating any dating method employing the measurement of radioactive decay, such as with carbon 14 or potassium argon, to determine age.
red ochre iron oxide, used as a pigment by Native Americans.
relative dating a very broad dating method in which artifacts may be compared to other similar artifacts elsewhere and given an earlier, later, or contemporary designation.
remote sensing any one of a number of techniques, including ground-penetrating radar, electroresistance surveying, and magnetic resonance, used to uncover the location of buried artifacts.
screen a wooden frame and mesh used to sift out tiny bits of artifact from soil.
shard a broken piece of glass or ceramic.
site any location of archaeological interest, where remains of human activity can be found.
site steward one who protects a site from vandals and thieves.
stele a large, upright stone monument bearing an inscription or design.
Stone Age the period from roughly 2 million years ago to roughly 6000 b.c., and divided into three sub-ages, the Paleolithic, the Mesolithic, and the Neolithic. The age is named for the advancement of the construction of stone tools.
Stonehenge an arrangement of upright stone slabs in Salisbury Plain, England, constructed during the Neolithic period.
strata natural layers of sediment.
stratigraphic column created over centuries, a column or block of layered soil deposits, with the most recent material usually located at the top and the oldest on the bottom. However, in some geological circumstances, such as earthquake or volcanic activity, a column may be upended, with the oldest materials on top.
stratigraphy the layering and sequencing of soil deposits over centuries.
Sumerians advanced human culture of Mesopotamia credited with the invention of writing after 4000 b.c.
survey the close examination of ground in order to find clues of past human occupation or activity.
transit a surveyor's tool used in the field to measure angles and help make accurate topographic maps.
tree ring dating see dendrochronology.
trilithon a prehistoric monument composed of a large, horizontal slab resting on two standing or upright slabs.
troglodyte any prehistoric, prehuman or human cave dweller.
tumulus a prehistoric grave mound; a barrow.
vestige an outmoded physical remnant of an ancient physical characteristic or organ on a modern human, such as an appendix or canine teeth.
Woodland the period of North American prehistory from 3000 to 1300 b.c., a time that marks the beginning of the appearance of pottery.
Fermi paradox named after Enrico Fermi, who marveled over the high probability of extraterrestrial civilizations across the galaxy yet puzzled over the complete lack of radio signals from them.
Formalhaut-B orbiting the star Formalhaut, the first planet outside our solar system captured visibly in a photograph, in 2008. Although larger than Jupiter, it is 1 billion times fainter than the star it orbits.
giant molecular cloud in interstellar space, a massive cloud of mostly hydrogen molecules, sometimes containing enough material to create millions of suns.
Great Silence, the astronomers' term for the complete lack of radio signals received from other intelligent beings across the galaxy, a puzzle considering how many habitable planets there are likely to be.
heliosheath a region outside the termination shock, where the solar wind slows, thickens, and mixes with interstellar gases.
protoplanet a planet in the process of formation.
protoplanetary debris revolving around a star, a giant ring or cloud of dust and debris from which planets eventually form.
protostar a very dense area of a molecular cloud, where a star is in the process of forming.
termination shock a region outside the solar system where outer space begins and the solar wind drops below supersonic speeds, the furthest distance spacecraft from Earth have traveled.
astronomy
Drake equation formulated by Dr. Frank Drake in 1960 in preparation for the meeting in Green Bank, West Virginia, that established the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) as a scientific discipline. It suggested that a large number of extraterrestrial civilizations would form, but that technological civilizations tend to destroy themselves quickly.
Epsilon Eridani harboring a star by the same name, the closest solar system to our own, approximately 62 trillion miles out, and thought to contain a similar system of planets and asteroid belts. It was the fictional location of the planet Vulcan, home to Star Trek's Spock.