Artifact Meaning
Artifact Definition & Usage
An object made or shaped by human hands, typically an item of cultural or historical significance, often found in archaeological contexts.
Examples
- "The museum displayed many ancient artifacts from Egypt, including sculptures and tools."
- "Archaeologists uncovered an artifact in the ruins that could date back thousands of years."
- "Each artifact in the collection tells a unique story about the civilization that created it."
- "The pottery shard was a small artifact, but it revealed a lot about the ancient culture."
- "Historians often study artifacts to better understand past societies."
A product or result of a process or action that is typically considered to be a defect, error, or unintended side effect.
Examples
- "The digital image had an artifact caused by compression, which distorted some of the fine details."
- "The artifact in the code made it difficult to pinpoint the source of the bug."
- "When the data was transferred, an artifact appeared in the graph due to a software glitch."
- "The scan produced an artifact, which could be a result of the angle at which it was taken."
- "The video displayed artifacts during playback, likely because of a low-quality compression algorithm."
Cultural Context
The word 'artifact' derives from the Latin 'artificium,' meaning 'craft' or 'skill,' and is commonly used to describe items created by human hands, especially those of historical or cultural value. In archaeology, artifacts are essential for understanding past societies, and they often include everyday items like tools, pottery, and jewelry. In modern usage, the term has expanded to describe any object produced by human work, and is also used in a variety of technical fields to refer to errors or unintended results.
The Artifact's Secret
Story
The Artifact's Secret
In the heart of a quiet museum, curators busied themselves with new acquisitions, but one artifact was causing a stir. It was a small, seemingly insignificant stone tablet, with markings that appeared to be a mix of known ancient scripts and some unknown symbols. Dr. Lara Lee, a renowned archaeologist, stood over the tablet, tracing the symbols with her fingers. She muttered to herself, 'This could be the breakthrough we've been waiting for.' Meanwhile, in a nearby lab, tech specialist Max Donovan was running scans on the artifact's surface. His computer beeped, displaying an unexpected result. 'This artifact’s emitting strange signals,' Max remarked, eyes narrowing. 'It could be a glitch in the system or... something more.' The team gathered around as Lara examined the tablet again, her fingers brushing across the symbols. 'It’s not just an artifact,' she said, her voice filled with awe. 'This could be a key to unlocking an unknown chapter of history.' But as Max continued his digital analysis, the screen suddenly distorted. 'There’s an artifact in the data—this isn’t normal.' His tone shifted from excitement to concern as the image on the monitor began to glitch, rendering the symbols in strange, pixelated patterns. 'What caused this?' he asked, puzzled. 'Could it be a result of the scanning process?' As they debated, Lara looked at Max with a thoughtful expression. 'No. The artifact itself is causing these anomalies.' Lara’s hunch proved correct. The tablet was no ordinary object; it was an artifact that was both an ancient relic and a catalyst for unexpected technological disruption. Their discovery was more than just a piece of history—it was a glimpse into an ancient world that had somehow intertwined with their present. And so, the team found themselves on the precipice of an extraordinary journey, where the boundaries between the past and the future were no longer so clear. In the end, the artifact didn’t just tell the story of the past—it reshaped the present.
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