Glossary of Terms

ALL A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Absolute Dating:  The ability to determine a specific date or date range for an object or material based on a particular time scale, e.g. radiocarbon dating and obsidian hydration dating. 

Ancestral Polynesian Culture:  The Ancestral Polynesian period in Samoa dates from 2500 to 1700 BP, and marks a major cultural change subsequently recorded in the region’s ceramic technology, subsistence practices, and settlement patterns. Tonga, ‘Uvea, Futuna and Samoa culturally separated from their western neighbor, Fiji, and became archaeologically distinct. Populations on Fiji continued more of the traditions from the earlier period, because of continued interaction with settlements farther west. The period's significance to our understanding of Polynesia’s past is derived from the 'baseline' data it provides for the later socio-political and technological diversification documented throughout the greater region 

Anthropology:  The holistic study of people by our physical and cultural characteristics. 

Archaeobotany:  The analysis and identification of plant remains found at archaeological sites. This can provide data on human diets or environmental change. 

Archaeological Culture:  A recurring assemblage of artifacts and features representing the material remains of a “culture” recovered during a discrete time and place, but this “culture” lacks contemporary or historic practicing descendents, e.g. the Lapita Cultural Complex. 

Archaeology:  The study of past societies by investigating their material record; a sub-discipline of anthropology. 

Artifact:  A portable object that was used, modified or made by people, e.g. adzes and pottery. 

Assemblage:  A set of artifacts that occur together during a specific time and place representing an activity, e.g. a lithic assemblage at a site equals all stone tool material (adzes, flake tools and waste flakes) recovered from that particular site. 

Association:  The co-occurrence of an artifact with other archaeological remains at a site. 

Experimental Archaeology:  The scientific study of past behaviors through controlled experiments, e.g. making adze replicas to understand how ancient people produced adzes in the past. 

Tia Ave:  Samoan for mounds with multiple legs extending from its base, which have been commonly referred to as star mounds.