Rules of the game

A common definition of an artifact is "an object produced or shaped by human craft, especially a tool, weapon, or ornament of archaeological or historical interest." [American Heritage Dictionary @ answers.com]

Of course, they also add that an artifact is "an inaccurate observation, effect, or result, ..." which might end up being more accurate here.

Archaeologists take a broad view: An artifact is "any object which has been modified, fashioned, or manufactured according to a set of humanly imposed attributes, including tools, weapons, ornaments, utensils, houses, buildings, etc. Artefacts are the basic components of material culture." [Archaeology Dictionary @ answers.com] I guess when you're faced with such an overwhelming paucity of actual data to study in your chosen field you have to take a broad view. I like that last bit about material culture though and I see no reason why modern man-made things aren't also artifacts under these definitions.

I'll be concerned with household artifacts. By that I mean man-made items that are typically found and used within a normal home - my home. But I think I need a few more rules to clarify what I mean. I actually mean mass-produced objects rather than one-offs such as artwork. Types of object rather than instances (so a book as a type is an artifact, whereas The Selfish Gene is an instance and won't be catalogued separately). And I mean movable objects (that can be moved by a single person). From simple to complex, from common to obscure, I don't mind. Let's see how that goes.

One last rule, more to keep my time commitment down, is to choose the next artifact to investigate at the end of writing a posting.

And a disclaimer. I’m not an archaeologist. Just an amateur observing and cataloguing a house.
This is for fun so don’t expect any semblance of objectivity.

With the rules of the game set, we move on to the first substantive post, finally!

Next post: the dining room chair.