An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record

Monte Albán, a Zapotec site in Oaxaca, Mexico

Beyond this, the definition and geographical extent of a 'site' can vary widely, depending on the period studied and the theoretical approach of the archaeologist. Stone Age Paleolithic See also Paleolithic, Recent African Origin, Early Homo sapiens, Early human migrations "Paleolithic" Recorded history can be defined as History that has been written down or recorded by the use of Language, whereas History is a more general term referring Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek grc ἀρχαιολογία archaiologia – grc ἀρχαῖος archaīos The archaeological record is a term used in Archaeology to denote all archaeological evidence, including the physical remains of past human activities which Archaeologists Monte Albán is a large Pre-Columbian Archaeological site in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. The Zapotec civilization was an indigenous Pre-Columbian civilization that flourished in the Valley of Oaxaca of southern Mesoamerica. The Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), in Spanish phonemically /oa'xaka/ named for its largest city, is one of the The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America.

It is almost invariably difficult to delimit a site. It is sometimes taken to indicate a settlement of some sort although the archaeologist must also define the limits of human activity around the settlement. Any episode of deposition such as a hoard or burial can form a site as well. In Archaeology, a Hoard is a collection of artifacts purposely buried in the ground Burial, also called interment and inhumation, is the act of placing a person or object into the ground Development-led archaeology undertaken as cultural resources management has the disadvantage (or the benefit) of having its sites defined by the limits of the intended development. This article is concerned with cultural resources in the widest sense for traditional archaeological and historic culture specifically see Cultural Heritage Management Even in this case however, in describing and interpreting the site, the archaeologist will have to look outside the boundaries of the building site.

Traditionally, sites are distinguished by the presence of both artifacts and features. In Archaeology, an artifact or artefact is any object made or modified by a human culture, and often one later recovered by some archaeological Feature in archaeology and especially Excavation has several different but allied meanings Common features include the remains of hearths and houses. Ecofacts, biological materials (such as bones, scales, and even feces) that are the result of human activity but are not deliberately modified, are also common at many archaeological sites. In the cases of the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic eras, a mere scatter of flint flakes will also constitute a site worthy of study. The term Paleolithic (or Palaeolithic) (from Greek παλαιός palaios, " Old " and λίθος Lithos, "stone" The Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age was a period in the development of human technology in between the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age and the Neolithic or New Stone Age Archaeology, a lithic flake is a "portion of rock removed from an objective piece by percussion or pressure" and may also be referred to as a chip or spall or collectively Different archaeologists may see an ancient town, and its nearby cemetery as being two different sites, or as being part of the same wider site. The precepts of landscape archaeology attempt to see each discrete unit of human activity in the context of the wider environment, further distorting the concept of the site as a demarcated area. Landscape archaeology is a body of method and theory for the study of the material traces of past peoples within the context of their interactions in the wider (typically regional social Furthermore, geoarchaeologists or environmental archaeologists would also consider a sequence of natural geological or organic deposition, in the absence of human activity, to constitute a site worthy of study. Geoarchaeology is a sub-field of Archaeology which uses the techniques and subject matter of Geology and other Earth sciences to examine topics which inform Environmental archaeology is the study of the long-term relationship between humans and their environments

Archaeological sites usually form through human-related processes but can be subject to natural, post-depositional factors. Cultural remnants which have been buried by sediments are in many environments more likely to be preserved than exposed cultural remnants. Natural actions resulting in sediment being deposited include alluvial (water-related) or aeolian (wind-related) natural processes. Alluvium (from the Latin, alluvius, from alluere, "to wash against" is Soil or Sediments deposited by a river or other running Aeolian (or Eolian or Æolian) processes pertain to the activity of the Winds and more specifically to the winds' ability to shape the surface of the In jungles and other areas of lush plant growth, decomposed vegetative sediment can result in layers of soil deposited over remains. Jungle usually refers to a dense Forest in a hot climate such as a Tropical rainforest. Colluviation, the burial of a site by sediments moved by gravity (called hillwash) can also happen at sites on slopes. Colluvium is the name for loose bodies of Sediment that have been deposited or built up at the bottom of a low-grade slope or against a barrier on that slope transported by Colluvium is the name for loose bodies of Sediment that have been deposited or built up at the bottom of a low-grade slope or against a barrier on that slope transported by Human activities (both deliberate and incidental) also often bury sites. It is common in many cultures for newer structures to be built atop the remains of older ones. Urban archaeology has developed especially to deal with these sorts of site. Urban archaeology is a sub discipline of archaeology specialising in the material past of Towns and Cities where long-term human habitation has often left a rich record

Many sites are the subject of ongoing excavation or investigation. Note the difference between archaeological sites and archaeological discoveries.

Archeological site of Castle of Silves

See also

• Archaeological ethics

Lists of sites

Lists of archeological sites around the world can be found at:

• List of archaeological sites sorted by country
• List of archaeological sites sorted by continent and age

External links

• the Archaeological Conservation Group of Icon, the Institute of Conservation (UK Professional body)

Further reading

Dunnell, Robert C. Archaeological ethics refers to a number of Moral issues raised through the study of the material past This is a list of notable Archaeological sites sorted by country This list of Archaeological sites is sorted by continent and then by the age of the site , and William S. Dancey, 1983 The Siteless Survey: A Regional Scale Data Collection Strategy, in Advances in Archaeological Method and Theory 6:267-287. Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) M. B. Schiffer, ed.