rockshelter
Cliff hollow refuge
A rockshelter is a shallow cave or overhanging cliff formation that provides natural protection from the elements.
In archaeology, rockshelters are significant sites where prehistoric humans took refuge, leaving behind artifacts and evidence of habitation: The excavation of the rockshelter revealed tools dating back twelve thousand years.
Also written as two words.
Section projecting beyond support
- ledgeProjecting horizontal surface
- recessPause in activity
- alcoveRecessed area in room
- cavityEmpty space within
canopy · windbreak · enclosure · dwelling · campsite · bivouac · refuge · protection
Earliest archaeological era
- MesolithicMiddle stone era
- NeolithicFinal prehistoric stone-tool era
- hunter-gatherersSubsistence through wild resources
- flintknappingStriking stone to shape tools
cave-paintings · pictographs · petroglyphs · megafauna · ancestors · tribes · rituals · ochre
Act of unearthing
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- sedimentsParticles that settle below
- occupationOne's regular paid work
hearths · lithics · potsherds · carbon-dating · paleoanthropology · dig · site · archaeologist
overhang
Section projecting beyond support
cavity · canopy · windbreak · enclosure · dwelling · campsite · bivouac · refuge · protection · shade
Paleolithic
Earliest archaeological era
- MesolithicMiddle stone era
- NeolithicFinal prehistoric stone-tool era
- hunter-gatherersSubsistence through wild resources
flintknapping · cave-paintings · pictographs · petroglyphs · megafauna · ancestors · tribes · rituals · ochre · handprints
excavation
Act of unearthing
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- sedimentsParticles that settle below
occupation · hearths · lithics · potsherds · carbon-dating · paleoanthropology · dig · site · archaeologist · midden