ARCHAEOLOGY – Definition
Main Entry: ar·chae·ol·o·gy
Variant(s): or ar·che·ol·o·gy /"är-kE-'ä-l&-jE/
Function: noun
Etymology: French archéologie, from Late Latin archaeologia antiquarian lore, from Greek archaiologia, from archaio- + -logia -logy
Date: 1837
1 : the scientific study of material remains (as fossil relics, artifacts, and monuments) of past human life and activities
2 : remains of the culture of a people : ANTIQUITIES
- ar·chae·o·log·i·cal /"är-kE-&-'lä-ji-k&l/ adjective
- ar·chae·o·log·i·cal·ly /-k(&-)lE/ adverb
- ar·chae·ol·o·gist /"är-kE-'ä-l&-jist/ noun

 

Quoted from the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary Online

Naming Patterns of Cultures
Archaeologists who study prehistoric and historic cultures have no written books or archives to depend on when discussing people of the past. Therefore, when a new pattern of artifacts arises they often give this pattern a name based on the area in which these remains were first found.

Example: The first site of the Dorset Palaeoeskimo was found in Cape Dorset, Baffin Island.The Cow Head complex was first found in Cow Head on the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland, and was therefore named after that town.

As well, patterns are often named after a particular life style indicated by the presence of certain artifacts.

Example: In the Maritime Archaic tradition, the word maritime is adopted because of the artifacts which indicate an intense adaptation to the sea; and archaic is used because the site dates are extremely old and were created by people who relied on hunting and gathering for their livelihood.

Terms
Tradition – The archaeological term tradition, such as the Maritime Archaic tradition, describes a pattern of artifacts that can be seen in the archaeological record for a very long time such as thousands of years.

Complex - The term complex is used when discussing a particular pattern that occurred over a short period and is not well understood.

Palaeo - The term Palaeo refers to ‘old’ or prehistoric.

B.P. - The abbreviation B.P. refers to Before Present, meaning a set number of years before present day.

B.C. - The abbreviation B.C. refers to Before Christ in the Christian calendar and is used to describe dates previous to the year when Christ was to have been born, (year 0) or prior to A.D.

A.D. - The abbreviation A.D. refers to ‘anno Domini’ in the Christian calendar, which means in the year of our Lord. Today’s date is expressed as A.D.

Century - This refers to a period of 100 years. It can sometimes be confusing in that the 15th Century actually refers to the years 1400-1499. Thus, the 21st Century represents the years 2000- 2099.