An artifact or artefact is a general term for an item made or given shape by humans, such as a tool or a work of art, especially an object of archaeological interest). Artifacts can be simple objects, such as tools or ornaments, or more complex ones, such as works of art. They can be of historical interest and provide essential clues for researchers studying ancient cultures. In archaeology, the word has become a term of particular nuance and is defined as an object recovered by archaeological endeavor, which may be a cultural artifact having cultural interest). Artifacts exist in many different forms and can sometimes be confused with ecofacts and features; all three of these can sometimes be found together at archaeological sites). They can also exist in different types of context depending on the processes that have acted on them over time). Artifacts are distinguished from stratigraphic features and ecofacts). Stratigraphic features are non-portable remains of human activity that include hearths, roads, deposits, trenches, and similar remains. Ecofacts, also referred to as biofacts, are objects of natural origin that have cultural significance, such as plant remains used for food, wood used for construction, and animal bones used for tools).