ABSTRACT
As I mentioned in the last chapter, archaeologists define an artifact as anything that has been used or modified by humans. A rock scratched by a plow is an artifact-it has been modified by humans. In fact, the field the rock was found in is an artifact, as the landscape has been modified by humans. The plow that struck the rock is of course an artifact, as is the tractor that pulled it, but so are the footprints of the farmer who walked through the field where he found the rock. Even the hole in the ground left by the rock is an artifact. It would not be there if the farmer had not picked the rock up.
