ar·ti·fact
  (chiefly US)   ( or chiefly Brit   ar·te·fact) /ˈɑɚtıˌfækt/  noun  ,  pl   -facts [  count  ]
  1 : a simple object (such as a tool or weapon) that was made by people in the past
   The caves contained many prehistoric artifacts.
   an artifact from the Colonial period
  2 : an accidental effect that causes incorrect results
  — usually + of
   The drop in scores was merely an artifact of the way the test was administered.