| absolute dating | Dating techniques that establish dates in numbers or ranges of numbers; examples include the radiometric -methods of 14C, K/A, 238U, TL, and ESR dating.
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| anthropometry | The measurement of human body parts and dimensions, including skeletal parts (osteometry).
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| bone biology | The study of bone as a biological tissue, including its genetics; cell structure; growth, development, and decay; and patterns of movement (biomechanics).
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| excavation | Digging through the layers of deposits that make up an archaeological or fossil site.
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| fossils | Remains (e.g., bones), traces, or impressions (e.g., footprints) of ancient life.
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| molecular anthropology | Genetic analysis, involving comparison of DNA sequences, to determine evolutionary links and distances among species and among ancient and modern populations.
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| paleoanthropology | Study of hominid and human life through the fossil record.
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| paleontology | Study of ancient life through the fossil record.
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| paleopathology | Study of disease and injury in skeletons from archaeological sites.
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| palynology | Study of ancient plants through pollen samples from archaeological or fossil sites in order to determine the site’s environment at the time of occupation.
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| relative dating | Dating technique, for example, stratigraphy, that establishes a time frame in relation to other strata or materials, rather than absolute dates in numbers.
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| remote sensing | Use of aerial photos and satellite images to locate sites on the ground.
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| stratigraphy | Science that examines the ways in which earth sediments are deposited in demarcated layers known as strata (singular, stratum).
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| systematic survey | Information gathered on patterns of settlement over a large area; provides a regional perspective on the archaeological record.
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| taphonomy | The study of the processes that affect the remains of dead animals, such as their scattering by carnivores and scavengers, their distortion by various forces, and their possible fossilization.
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