| A | B |
|---|
| absolute dating | Dating techniques that establish dates in numbers or ranges of numbers; examples include the radiometric -methods of 14C, K/A, 238U, TL, and ESR dating. |
| anthropometry | The measurement of human body parts and dimensions, including skeletal parts (osteometry). |
| bone biology | The study of bone as a biological tissue, including its genetics; cell structure; growth, development, and decay; and patterns of movement (biomechanics). |
| excavation | Digging through the layers of deposits that make up an archaeological or fossil site. |
| fossils | Remains (e.g., bones), traces, or impressions (e.g., footprints) of ancient life. |
| molecular anthropology | Genetic analysis, involving comparison of DNA sequences, to determine evolutionary links and distances among species and among ancient and modern populations. |
| paleoanthropology | Study of hominid and human life through the fossil record. |
| paleontology | Study of ancient life through the fossil record. |
| paleopathology | Study of disease and injury in skeletons from archaeological sites. |
| palynology | Study of ancient plants through pollen samples from archaeological or fossil sites in order to determine the site’s environment at the time of occupation. |
| relative dating | Dating technique, for example, stratigraphy, that establishes a time frame in relation to other strata or materials, rather than absolute dates in numbers. |
| remote sensing | Use of aerial photos and satellite images to locate sites on the ground. |
| stratigraphy | Science that examines the ways in which earth sediments are deposited in demarcated layers known as strata (singular, stratum). |
| systematic survey | Information gathered on patterns of settlement over a large area; provides a regional perspective on the archaeological record. |
| taphonomy | The study of the processes that affect the remains of dead animals, such as their scattering by carnivores and scavengers, their distortion by various forces, and their possible fossilization. |
