An archaeological culture is a pattern of similar artefacts and features found within a specific area over a limited period of time. They are sometimes termed Techno-Complexes (Technology-Complexes) to differentiate them from sociological cultures. As the archaeological cultures refer only to material items, sometimes even the purpose of which is uncertain, the word "culture" can be misleading.
This category currently also includes archaeological industries which are similar to archaeological cultures but are limited only to artefact types.