| A | B |
|---|
| Life science | A term that encompasses all scientific pursuits related to living organisms. |
| Archaeology | The study of past human life as revealed by preserved relics. |
| Artifacts | Objects made by people such as tools, weapons, containers, etc. |
| Geology | The study of earth's history as revealed in the rocks that make up the earth. |
| Paleontology | The study of life's history as revealed in the preserved remains of once-living plants organisms. |
| Internal test | Test to see whether or not the document is internally consistent, or doesn't contradict itself. |
| Aristotle's dictum | The benefit of the doubt is to be given to the document itself, not assigned by the critic himself. |
| External test | Test to see whether or not the document contradicts other known historical facts. |
| Bibliographic test | A historical test that attempts to determine whether or not the version of the document that exists is a faithful representation of the original. |
| Known age | The age of an artifact as determined by a date printed on it or a reference to the artifactc in a work of history. |
| Dendrochronology | The process of counting tree rings to dtermine the age of a tree. |
| Known ages | The only ages that are certain in archaeology. |
| The upper limits for the age of an artifact | Ages determined by dendrochronology. |
| Radiometric dating | Using a radioactive process to determine the age of an item. |
| Absolute age | The calculated age of an artifact from a specific dating method that is used to determine when the artifact was made. |
| The Principle of Superposition | When artifacts are found in rock or earth that is layered, the deeper layers hold the older artifacts. |
| Strata | The distinct layers found in soil and/or rock. |
