In archaeology, an
artifact or artefact is any object made or modified by a human
culture, and often one later recovered by an archaeologist. Examples
include stone , pottery vessels, metal objects, and items of
personal adornment, or clothing. Other examples include bone, rocks,
or plant material.
The study of these objects is an important part of the field of
archaeology. Artifacts can come from any archaeological context or
source such as: Buried along with a body (grave goods); From
any feature such as a midden or other domestic setting; Hoards; or
Votive offerings.
Artifacts are distinguished from the main body of the archaeological
record such as stratigraphic features, which are nonportable remains
of human activity, such as hearths, roads, or deposits and remains,
and from biofacts or ecofacts, which are objects of archaeological
interest made by other organisms, such as seeds or animal bone.
Natural objects which have been moved but not changed by humans are
called manuports. Examples would include seashells moved inland or
rounded pebbles placed away from the water action that would have
fashioned them.
These distinctions are often blurred; for instance, a bone removed
from an animal carcass is a biofact, but a bone carved into a useful
implement is an artifact. Similarly there can be debate over early
stone objects which may be crude artifacts or which may be naturally
occurring phenomena that only appear to have been used by humans.
Welcome To PrecolumbianArtifact.com - your portal to online
and virtual museums of Pre-Columbian Artifacts from the Cultures
Of Mexico, Central & South America. We provide access to Prehispanic Objects made
from Gold & Precious Metals, Jade & Turquoise and other polished
Stones, Ceramic Pottery & Earthenware, Stone Sculpture, Wood &
Organic Objects, Objects made from Shell or Bone or Feathers, Rock
Crystal Artifacts, and Prehispanic Textile; from the cultures of the:
Aztec,
Maya, Mixtec, Inca, Moche, Wari, Chorotega, Diquis, Chiriqui,
Tairona, Olmec, Nazca, Toltec, and many more, from Mexico, Guatemala
& Honduras, Costa Rica, Colombia, Peru, and throughout Ancient America!
We also display specific styles of Pre-Columbian artifacts, such as:
Masks, Weapons, Geoglyphs and Petroglyphs, Wheeled Artifacts,
Monoliths, Mummies, and Roads. These sites display pre-Columbian treasures,
from a wide variety of source that have survived the passage of
time.
PrecolumbianArtifact.com
An Ancient America Archaeology Site
Published by McGuinnessPublishing Created
by Tim McGuinness, Ph.D., Member of the Society for American
Archaeology The
information presented is believed to be correct and accurate.
However,
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