An artifact or artefact (from Latin phrase arte factum, from ars skill + facere to make) is "something made or given shape by humans, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest". "Artifact" is the usual spelling in the US and Canada, "Artefact" in the UK, Europe and Australasia (see spelling differences).
In archaeology, where the term is most commonly used, an artifact is an object recovered by some archaeological endeavor, which may have a cultural interest.
Examples include stone tools such as projectile points, pottery vessels, metal objects such as guns, and items of personal adornment such as buttons, jewellery and clothing. Other examples include bone that show signs of human modification, fire cracked rocks from a hearth or plant material used for food.
An artifact or artefact (from Latin phrase arte factum, from ars skill + facere to make) is "something made or given shape by humans, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest". "Artifact" is the usual spelling in the US and Canada, "Artefact" in the UK, Europe and Australasia (see spelling differences).
In archaeology, where the term is most commonly used, an artifact is an object recovered by some archaeological endeavor, which may have a cultural interest.
Examples include stone tools such as projectile points, pottery vessels, metal objects such as guns, and items of personal adornment such as buttons, jewellery and clothing. Other examples include bone that show signs of human modification, fire cracked rocks from a hearth or plant material used for food.