archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

, a type site (

American English American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the Languages of the United States, most widely spoken lang ...

) or type-site (

British English British English is the set of Variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United Kingdom, especially Great Britain. More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in England, or, more broadly, to ...

) is the site used to define a particular archaeological culture or other typological unit, which is often named after it. For example, discoveries at La Tène and Hallstatt led scholars to divide the European Iron Age into the La Tène culture and Hallstatt culture, named after their respective type sites. The concept is similar to type localities in

geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

and type specimens in

biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...

Notable type sites

Africa

* Nok ( Kaduna,

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

), of the Nok culture

East Asia

* Banpo ( Yangshao culture, Neolithic Yangshao culture, China) * Liangzhu Town, near Hangzhou ( Liangzhu culture, Neolithic, China) * Songguk-ri (Middle Mumun culture, southern

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

) * Suemura cluster of kilns – Kilns of Sue pottery (Middle and Late Kofun period, Osaka,

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

) * Sanage cluster of kilns — Kilns of and ( Nara and Heian period, Aichi Prefecture, Japan)

Europe

*a river terrace of the River Somme ( Abbeville, France), of the Abbevillian culture * Aurignac ( Haute Garonne, France), of the Aurignacian culture * Hallstatt ( Salzkammergut,

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

), of the Hallstatt culture * La Tène, Neuchâtel, Switzerland, of the La Tène culture * Vinča, Belgrade, Serbia, of the Vinča culture * Abri de la Madeleine ( Dordogne, France), of the Magdalenian culture * Le Moustier (Dordogne, France), of the Mousterian culture * Saint Acheul (near Amiens,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

), of the Acheulean culture * Butmir (near

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

, Bosnia-Herzegovina), of the Butmir culture * Cucuteni (Romania) and Trypillia (Ukraine), of the Cucuteni–Trypillia culture

Mesoamerica

* Uaxactun ( Maya civilization, Dept.of Peten,

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

) * Dzibilchaltun ( Maya civilization, northern Yucatan,

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

) * Monte Albán (

Zapotec civilization The Zapotec civilization ( "The People"; 700 BC–1521 AD) is an Indigenous peoples, indigenous Pre-Columbian era, pre-Columbian civilization that flourished in the Valley of Oaxaca in Mesoamerica. Archaeological evidence shows that their cultu ...

Oaxaca Oaxaca, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca, is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of the Mexico, United Mexican States. It is divided into municipalities of Oaxaca, 570 munici ...

, Mexico)

Near East

* Tell Halaf,

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

, for the Halaf culture * Tell Hassuna,

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

, for the Hassuna culture * Jemdet Nasr,

, for the Jemdet Nasr period * Tell al-'Ubaid,

, for the Ubaid period *

Uruk Uruk, the archeological site known today as Warka, was an ancient city in the Near East, located east of the current bed of the Euphrates River, on an ancient, now-dried channel of the river in Muthanna Governorate, Iraq. The site lies 93 kilo ...

, for the Uruk period

Northern America

* Folsom, New Mexico ( Folsom Tradition), United States * Clovis, New Mexico ( Clovis culture), United States: generally accepted as the type site for one of the earliest human cultures in the North America * La Plata County, Colorado ( Basketmaker II period of the Anasazi culture), United States * Barton Gulch of the Blackwater Draw Paleo-Indian culture * Adena mound ( Adena culture), United States * Borax Lake Site, for two of the earliest cultural traditions in California: the Post Pattern and Borax Lake Pattern.

Oceania

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

, of the Lapita culture.

South Asia

* Kot Diji (Pre-Indus civilization,

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

) * Harappa ( Indus civilization, Punjab, northeast Pakistan)

References

{{Reflist Methods in archaeology Bronze Age Iron Age Stone Age