This is not intended to be an exhaustive glossary, rather, it will give you an overview of the terminology used, particularly that used within this site.
Archaeological horizon - synonymous with cultural horizon (see below) and generally used interchangeably.
Archaic - early cultural period of New Zealand prehistory associated with East Polynesia.
Artefact - anything that has been constructed or modified by people. Artefacts provide one of the formal dimensions of excavations because they can be measured both quantitatively (their measurable attributes) and qualitatively (their recognisable features or attributes).
Artefacts also have a spatial dimension - their vertical distribution represents their chronology, and their horizontal distribution shows how they interact with other artefacts representing activities and functions.
Auger - an instrument designed for drilling holes (from 2 - 10cm diameter) in a site to allow samples to be recovered. The depth of the hole will depend on what layer the archaeologist is trying to identify.
Baulk - refers either to the side of the excavation, or to a strip through an excavation which is left unexcavated.
Cultural horizon: this refers to a horizontal layer in a site which is derived from human activity on a site, which may or may not be continuous across the site.
Features - a human intrusion into the natural layers that cannot be moved without causing its alteration or destruction, i.e., a pit, pothole, hearth/oven, trench, wall, house floor etc.
Fluxgate gradiometer - a geophysical surveying device that can be used as a non-invasive means (as opposed to test excavations for example) of detecting buried archaeological features. A fluxgate gradiometer has dual sensors which read and record variations in the Earth’s magnetic field that are produced by buried archaeological features and structures such as pits, burials and defensive remains. Fluxgate data is processed by computer and the results presented graphically.
Features and structures that produce a heightened magnetic signature (or anomaly), in contrast with that of the surrounding matrix, are often visible in the resulting analysis and can be interpreted by the archaeologist. The advantage of a fluxgate gradiometer is that it is a light self-contained device, capable of undertaking surveys of large areas, quickly and accurately.
Half-section - an excavation process whereby features, such as ovens, have only one half excavated. The remaining part of the feature then allows the archaeologist to measure its depth and width, and also determine micro layers that may exist within it.
Hangi stones - the stones used by Maori while cooking in a hangi, or earth oven. They are generally found in the base of ovens, covered with a layer of charcoal and blackened soil / sand.
Living surface - when people start living on a site, the ground will generally be clean and undisturbed. After a period a surface will develop which consists of the accumulation of cultural material (midden and artefacts) and will generally become black or dark gray from people repeatedly moving across it. This 'living surface' can be identified by archaeologists as they come down onto the layer.
Loisels Pumice - a distinctive pumice type that derives from an underwater eruption off the northeast coast of the North Island, approximately 600 years ago, and characterised by its light grey colour with black flecks through it.
Material culture - things made by people which are then recovered from archaeological sites.
Midden - concentration of food waste, usually shell and bone.
Obsidian - fine grained volcanic glass commonly used for tools by Maori. The most common source is Mayor Island.
Prehistory - this generally refers to the time before written records. In NZ, 1769 and the arrival of Cook is usually taken to be the end of the prehistoric period.
Ranging pole and photo scales - a ranging pole is a traditional survey instrument for measuring height. They generally consist of a poles alternating in red and white sections (20cm long) up to a length of 1 - 2m, depending on the model used. Smaller poles (ca. 50cm) are used as photographic scales and also have the red and white alternating sections which are generally 10cm long.
Spatial distribution - this refers to the relationship of artefacts and features to one another across the site, both vertically through time and horizontally through space. An analysis of the spatial distribution of related artefacts often helps to define the extent of activity areas, such as working floors where stone artefacts are manufactured, or butchering areas where animals are processed for cooking and consumption.
Spit - The excavation of an archaeological site generally follows one of two processes: either by individual layers (in reverse stratigraphic order), which can be distinguished by features such as soil colour and texture, and the presence or absence of cultural material, with clear boundaries between each; or, by spits, which are arbitrary slices of a predetermined thickness (e.g. 5cm). The latter method tends to overlook changes in layers, and is often used in extensive, thick or poorly differentiated deposits. Sometimes, for example when a cultural layer is particularly thick, a layer will be excavated in spits to give finer definition of the depths to which material is recovered.
Stratigraphy - layers of material deposited on top of each other forming a chronological sequence.
Test pit - these are generally small excavation squares dug across a site to determine the extent and nature of the archaeological deposits. They range in size from spade width (ca. 30 square cm) to a more formal 1 square metre, and will often be undertaken in a grid pattern to allow for detailed recording and mapping of their location.
Total station / theodolite - surveying tool used by archaeologists to record cultural features such as postholes, ovens and artefacts, as well the layers within the site.