Terminology and Methodology

Abstract

The long history of soil science (e.g., well over 100 yr in North America) and its bureaucratic institutionalization as a component of agricultural research in many countries resulted in the evolution of a substantial vocabulary and methodology for the discipline. A wide array of methods for the field and laboratory investigation of soils also is available to geoarchaeologists. The first part of this chapter is a discussion of some basic terms and definitions used in pedology and soil geomorphology. Some specific terms (e.g., soil stratigraphic nomenclature) are discussed as necessary elsewhere in the text and in appendix 1. There is a sizable body of nomenclature in pedology and soil geomorphology for describing and classifying soils. Indeed, there is a tendency in soils research toward an over-abundance of nomenclature and jargon (e.g., Fastovsky, 1991). All scientific fields necessarily have a specialized nomenclature, however. Researchers in any field, and especially interdisciplinarians such as archaeologists working with soils and soil scientists working with archaeology, should be aware of the nomenclature, jargon, and lingua franca of the new fields they enter.A pedologist who becomes involved with North American archaeology would have to become familiar with terms and concepts such as “Paleoindian” or “Archaic” or “site.” Likewise, archaeologists and geoscientists interested in understanding soils for geoarchaeological purposes must learn some basic soil science terminology and the principles behind issues of proper use (or misuse) of some terms. This fosters communication and problem solving and avoids ambiguities. The rest of this chapter is a discussion of some of the more widely used approaches in the field and in the laboratory, especially in archaeological contexts. Key points to be made are that, first, investigators select the methods that best suit the field situation and the research questions being posed; second, if comparisons are made to other research, the comparable methods should be used; and third, all field and laboratory methods should be referenced in publications and deviations from standard practices or procedures should be described. Some terms introduced below and elsewhere are well defined and generally agreed on, whereas others are variously or vaguely defined.