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(Terms in italics are defined elsewhere in the glossary)
taphonomy The study of processes which have affected organic materials such as bone after death; it also involves the microscopic analysis of tooth-marks or cut marks to assess the effects of butchery or scavenging activities. (Chapter 7)
tectonic movements Displacements in the plates that make up the earth's crust, often responsible for the occurrence of raised beaches . (Chapter 6)
tell A Near Eastern term that refers to a mound site formed through successive human occupation over a very long timespan. (Chapter 2)
temper Inclusions in pottery clay which act as a filler to give the clay added strength and workability and to counteract any cracking or shrinkage during firing. (Chapter 8)
tephra Volcanic ash. In the Mediterranean, for example, deep-sea coring produced evidence for the ash fall from the eruption of Thera, and its stratigraphic position provided important information in the construction of a relative chronology . (Chapter 4)
thermal prospection A remote sensing method used in aerial reconnaissance . It is based on weak variations in temperature which can be found above buried structures whose thermal properties are different from those of their surroundings. (Chapter 3)
thermography A technique which uses thermal or heat sensors in aircraft to record the temperature of the soil surface. Variations in soil temperature can be the result of the presence of buried structures. (Chapter 3)
thermoluminescence (TL) A dating technique that relies indirectly on radioactive decay, overlapping with radiocarbon in the time period for which it is useful, but also has the potential for dating earlier periods. It has much in common with electron spin resonance (ESR). (Chapter 4)
Thiessen polygons A formal method of describing settlement patterns based on territorial divisions centered on a single site; the polygons are created by drawing straight lines between pairs of neighboring sites, then at the mid-point along each of these lines, a second series of lines are drawn at right angles to the first. Linking the second series of lines creates the Thiessen polygons. (Chapter 5)
thin-section analysis A technique whereby microscopic thin sections are cut from a stone object or potsherd and examined with a petrological microscope to determine the source of the material. (Chapter 9)
Three Age System A classification system devised by C.J. Thomsen for the sequence of technological periods (stone, bronze, and iron) in Old World prehistory. It established the principle that by classifying artifacts, one could produce a chronological ordering.
(Chapter 1)
trace element analysis The use of chemical techniques, such as neutron activation analysis , or X-ray fluorescence spectrometry , for determining the incidence of trace elements in rocks. These methods are widely used in the identification of raw material sources for the production of stone tools. (Chapters 7 & 9)
trajectory In systems thinking , this refers to the series of successive states through which the system proceeds over time. It may be said to represent the long-term behavior of the system. (Chapter 12)
tree-ring dating See dendrochronology .
trend surface analysis The aim of trend surface analysis is to highlight the main features of a geographic distribution by smoothing over some of the local irregularities. In this way, important trends can be isolated from the background "noise" more clearly. (Chapter 9)
tribes A term used to describe a social grouping generally larger than a band , but rarely numbering more than a few thousand; unlike bands tribes are usually settled farmers, though they also include nomadic pastoral groups whose economy is based on exploitation of livestock. Individual communities tend to be integrated into the larger society through kinship ties. (Chapter 5)
tuyre A ceramic blowtube used in the process of smelting. (Chapter 8)
type A class of artifacts defined by the consistent clustering of attributes . (Chapters 1 & 4)
typology The systematic organization of artifacts into types on the basis of shared attributes . (Chapters 1, 3 & 4)
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