1 Answer

ar·ti·fact [ahr-tuh-fakt] Show IPA
noun
1.
any object made by human beings, especially with a view to subsequent use.
2.
a handmade object, as a tool, or the remains of one, as a shard of pottery, characteristic of an earlier time or cultural stage, especially such an object found at an archaeological excavation.
3.
any mass-produced, usually inexpensive object reflecting contemporary society or popular culture: artifacts of the pop rock generation.
4.
a substance or structure not naturally present in the matter being observed but formed by artificial means, as during preparation of a microscope slide.
5.
a spurious observation or result arising from preparatory or investigative procedures. 

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/artifact 

http://www.wisegeek.org/what-are-artifacts.htm 

An artifact can have numerous definitions. In anthropology and history, the typical definition is that it is a product of some society, usually intentionally made by someone in that society. These can be ancient things, like Ming vases or soapstone carvings, or they can be fairly recent. They may be defined as being at least 25 years old, though people may be used to thinking of them as much older and from societies in the distant past.

Ancient artifacts should not be confused with fossils. Finding dinosaur bones or the skull of a woolly mammoth isn’t really finding the product of a society. On the other hand, a carefully sculpted weapon made of a woolly mammoth tusk would be an artifact, and an incredibly exciting find. This definition, though, can get a little confusing. For instance, an archaeologistmight ponder whether a grain of rice in an unearthed cavern is the product of a society or an accident. Clearly if it was a rice-growing society, it is a production of that society instead of just a random wild grain of rice.