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(Terms in italics are defined elsewhere in the glossary)
earth resistance survey A method of subsurface detection which measures changes in conductivity by passing electrical current through ground soils. This is generally a consequence of moisture content, and in this way, buried features can be detected by differential retention of groundwater. (Chapter 3)
echo-sounding An acoustic underwater survey technique, used to trace the topography of submerged coastal plains and other buried land surfaces (see also seismic reflection profiler ). (Chapter 6)
ecofacts Non-artifactual organic and environmental remains which have cultural relevance, e.g. faunal and floral material as well as soils and sediments. (Chapters 2 & 6)
ecological determinism A form of explanation in which it is implicit that changes in the environment determine changes in human society. (Chapter 12)
electrical resistivity See earth resistance survey.
electrolysis A standard cleaning process in archaeological conservation. Artifacts are placed in a chemical solution, and by passing a weak current between them and a surrounding metal grill, the corrosive salts move from the cathode (object) to the anode (grill), removing any accumulated deposit and leaving the artifact clean. (Chapter 2)
electron probe microanalysis Used in the analysis of artifact composition, this technique is similar to XRF ( X-ray fluorescence spectrometry ), and is useful for studying small changes in composition within the body of an artifact. (Chapter 9)
electron spin resonance (ESR) Enables trapped electrons within bone and shell to be measured without the heating that thermoluminescence requires. As with TL, the number of trapped electrons indicates the age of the specimen. (Chapter 4)
empathetic method The use of personal intuition (in German Einfhlung ) to seek to understand the inner lives of other people, using the assumption that there is a common structure to human experience. The assumption that the study of the inner experience of humans provides a handle for interpreting prehistory and history is made by idealist thinkers such as B. Croce, R.G. Collingwood and members of the postprocessual school of thought. (Chapter 12)
emulation One of the most frequent features accompanying competition, where customs, buildings, and artifacts in one society may be adopted by neighboring ones through a process of imitation which is often competitive in nature. (Chapters 5 & 9)
environmental archaeology A field of interdisciplinary research - archaeology and natural science - is directed at the reconstruction of human use of plants and animals, and how past societies adapted to changing environmental conditions. (Chapters 6 & 7)
environmental circumscription An explanation for the origins of the state propounded by Robert Carneiro that emphasizes the fundamental role exerted by environmental constraints and by territorial limitations. (Chapter 12)
eoliths Crude stone pebbles found in Lower Pleistocene contexts; once thought to be the work of human agency, but now generally regarded as natural products. (Chapter 8)
ethnicity The existence of ethnic groups, including tribal groups. Though these are difficult to recognize from the archaeological record, the study of language and linguistic boundaries shows that ethnic groups are often correlated with language areas (see ethnos ). (Chapter 5)
ethnoarchaeology The study of contemporary cultures with a view to understanding the behavioral relationships which underlie the production of material culture. (Introduction & Chapter 8)
ethnography A subset of cultural anthropology concerned with the study of contemporary cultures through firsthand observation. (Introduction)
ethnology A subset of cultural anthropology concerned with the comparative study of contemporary cultures, with a view to deriving general principles about human society. (Introduction)
ethnos The ethnic group, defined as a firm aggregate of people, historically established on a given territory, possessing in common relatively stable peculiarities of language and culture, and also recognizing their unity and difference as expressed in a self-appointed name (ethnonym) (see ethnicity ). (Chapter 5)
evolution The process of growth and development generally accompanied by increasing complexity. In biology, this change is tied to Darwin's concept of natural selection as the basis of species survival. Darwin's work laid the foundations for the study of artifact typology , pioneered by such scholars as Pitt-Rivers and Montelius. (Chapter 1)
excavation The principal method of data acquisition in archaeology, involving the systematic uncovering of archaeological remains through the removal of the deposits of soil and the other material covering them and accompanying them. (Chapter 3)
experimental archaeology The study of past behavioral processes through experimental reconstruction under carefully controlled scientific conditions. (Chapters 2, 7, 8, & 14)
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