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===Alternative spellings===

==Alternative spellings==

*[[artefact]] (''Commonwealth'')

*artefact (''Commonwealth'')

*'''artifact''' (''N. Amer.'')

*'''artifact''' (''N. Amer.'')

===Etymology===

==Etymology==

Latin ''[[ars]]'', ''[[Wiktionary Appendix:Latin third declension|artis]]'' art, ''[[factum]]'' something made (or ''[[arte facto]]'', made by art)

Latin ''ars'', ''artis'' [[art]], ''factum'' something made (or ''arte facto'', made by art)

===Noun===

==Noun==

# An [[object]] made by human hand or shaped by it.

# An object made by human hand or shaped by it.

# An object, such as a [[tool]], [[weapon]] or [[ornament]], of [[archaeological]] or [[historical]] interest, esp. such an object found at an archaeological excavation.

# An object, such as a tool, weapon or ornament, of [[Archaeology|archaeological]] or [[History|historical]] interest, esp. such an object found at an archaeological excavation.

#* The dig produced many Roman '''artifacts'''.

#* The dig produced many [[Rome|Roman]] '''artifacts'''.

# Something viewed as a product of human conception or agency rather than an inherent element.

# Something viewed as a product of human [[concept]]ion or agency rather than an inherent element.

#* "The very act of looking at a naked model was an '''artifact''' of male supremacy" (Philip Weiss).

#* "The very act of looking at a naked [[model]] was an '''artifact''' of male supremacy" (Philip Weiss).

#: Ref: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 08 Mar. 2007.

#: Ref: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the [[English|English Language]], Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 08 Mar. 2007.

# In an experiment or investigation, a [[structure]] or [[feature]], which does not occur naturally in the object under observation, but is  a result of external action, the test arrangement or an experimental error.

# In an [[experiment]] or investigation, a [[structure]] or feature, which does not occur naturally in the object under observation, but is  a result of external action, the test arrangement or an experimental error.

#* The shadow on the lungs turned out to be an '''artifact''' of the X-ray process.

#* The shadow on the lungs turned out to be an '''artifact''' of the X-ray process.

'''Social artifact''' is any product of individuals or groups (social [[being]]s) or of their social [[behavior]]. Artifacts are the objects or products designed and used by people to meet re-occurring needs or to solve problems. An example of a common social artifact is a [[document]].

A '''cultural artifact''' is a human-made [[wiktionary:object|object]] which gives information about the [[culture]] of its creator and users. The artifact may change over time in what it represents, how it appears and how and why it is used as the culture changes over time. The usage of the term encompasses the type of [[Artifact (archaeology)|archaeological artifact]] which is recovered at [[archaeological site]]s; however, man-made objects of modern society are also cultural artifacts. For example, in an anthropological context, a [[television]] is an artifact of modern culture.

The philosopher Marx W. Wartofsky distinguished several types of artifacts:

 

'''Social artifact''' is any product of individuals or groups ([[social being]]s) or of their [[social behavior]].

 

- primary artifacts, which are used in production (e.g., a hammer, a fork, a lamp, a camera, etc.)

- primary artifacts, which are used in production (e.g., a hammer, a fork, a lamp, a camera, etc.)

- secondary artifacts, which are representations of primary artifacts (e.g., a user manual for a camera)

- secondary artifacts, which are representations of primary artifacts (e.g., a user manual for a camera)

- tertiary artifacts, which are representations of secondary artifacts

- tertiary artifacts, which are representations of secondary artifacts

 

==References==

== See also ==

 

Habib, Laurence, and Line Wittek (2007). The portfolio as artefact and actor. Mind, Culture and Activity, Vol. 14, No. 4, ISSN 1074-9039.

Habib, Laurence, and Line Wittek (2007). The portfolio as artefact and actor. Mind, Culture and Activity, Vol. 14, No. 4, ISSN 1074-9039.