Features generally have discrete vertical and horizontal boundaries. Is a Career in Archaeology Right for You? Features identified within archaeological excavations might include a group of artifacts found together, a patch of discolored soil, or a heap of unmodified rock. A feature which is a collection of stone artifacts may in the lab be identified as the remnants of a stone working location; a discoloration of soil could be anything from a storage pit for perishable foods to a human burial to a privy pit to a rodent burrow. General horizontal elements are part of the stratigraphic sequence. This is seen in comparison to leveling dumps, which stretch out over a substantial portion of a site. A feature is a neutral term used by archaeologists to label anything such as stains, architectural elements, floral or final deposits, and artifact concentrations that are discovered during archaeological research that cannot immediately be identified. [5]. This is seen in comparison to leveling dumps, which stretch out over a substantial portion of a site. On the contrary, elements that have horizontal characteristic, such as a layer, dump, or surface, is not a feature. Features are an indication that the area in which it was found has been interfered with in the past, usually by humans. Features identified from aerial photography might turn out upon testing or further examination to be ancient walls, which have stunted the growth of plant life; or merely a result of the farmer's plowing technique. Features are evidence of human activity that primarily consist of cultural made materials which are part of the natural layer. The concept of a feature is, to a certain degree, fuzzy, as it will change depending on the scale of excavation. Features identified from aerial photography or field surveys might include odd patterns of vegetation growth or unexplained bumps or hollows in the earth. The MoLAS archaeological site manual MoLAS, London 1994. Features specific to certain architecture types or eras such as trilithon for the purposes of this article are not considered generic. the Remnants of Ancient Mesopotamian Cities, Settlement Patterns - Studying the Evolution of Societies, Stratigraphy: Earth's Geological, Archaeological Layers. Features specific to certain architecture types or eras such as trilithon for the purposes of this article are not considered generic. Features are distinguished from artifacts in that they cannot be separated from their location without changing their form. Generic types can include: Archaeological term to describe a collection of one or more contexts representing some human non-portable activity, "Archaeology 101: Artifact versus Feature", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Feature_(archaeology)&oldid=968836892, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Generic types can include: Archaeological term to describe a collection of one or more contexts representing some human non-portable activity. A re-cut is a type of feature. They often forget about features such as stone walls, buildings, hearths, storage pits, and roads. Prehistoric archaeology refers to the time in history before human life was recorded or documented, while historic archaeology refers to the time period were there was a documented human past. Even if the archaeologist is pretty sure what an odd arrangement of stones means, he or she may designate it a "feature" anyway. Features tend to have an intrusive characteristic or associated cuts. Features are categorized by the time period, as either historic or prehistoric. Artifacts are portable, while features are non-portable. Features are distinguished from artifacts in that they cannot be separated from their location without changing their form. In the last issue of CA, I explored the archaeology of Merseyside, Liverpool, and Manchester. Features and artifacts differ from ecofacts. On the contrary, elements that have horizontal characteristic, such as a layer, dump, or surface, is not a feature. Excavating the CA archive: Cheshire. Features. Now on display at the Museum of London Docklands, London’s largest late Bronze Age hoard is revealing new details of life in the Thames river valley 3,000 years ago. You need to be able to draw a circle around it to define what things are grouped together, but those boundaries could be a few centimeters or many meters long or deep. Examples of features are pits, walls, and ditches. This is not definitive as surfaces can be referred to as features of a building and free standing structures with no construction cut can still be features. A feature is defined as a nonmoveable element of an archaeological site. A feature in archaeology, specifically excavation, is a collection of one or more contexts representing some human non-portable activity. A feature in archaeology, specifically excavation, is a collection of one or more contexts representing some human non-portable activity. [3], Features and artifacts differ from ecofacts. Middens (dump deposits) are also referred to as features due to their discrete boundaries. [1] Features are an indication that the area in which it was found has been interfered with in the past, usually by humans.
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