My personal field experience is that cultures were not consistent across millennia and miles, but it can often be difficult to distinguish cultures purely from

My personal field experience is that cultures were not consistent across millennia and miles, but it can often be difficult to distinguish cultures purely from their material record, especially to modern eyes. In general, people tend to both underestimate what's possible and mistake natural landforms for human constructions. The Bosnian Pyramids and the Yonaguni Monument are prime examples. Even experts sometimes screw this up. I've seen my share of cropmarks and straight "walls" on imagery that turn out to have perfectly natural explanations. My first field season was particularly memorable. I spent days sitting in a muddy trench, convinced I had found a posthole. A few feet below was the remains of a collapsed rabbit warren. Archaeology can be hard.