ANTH midterm 1 Flashcards
poopie peepee
What are the four subfields of anthropology
Cultural Anthropology
Linguistics
Archaeology
Biological Anthropology
What is ethnography (Cultural anthropology)
the detailed observation and recording of a culture, often through participant observation.
What is ethnology (Cultural anthropology)
comparative study of culture.
Christian Jürgenson Thomsen
Developed Three Age System:
-Iron Age
-Bronze Age
-Stone Age
Georges Cuvier
Proposed theory of catastrophism
Archbishop James Ussher
Analyzed Bible determined the earth was created in 4004 B.C.
James Hutton
A Scottish geologist who advanced notion of uniformitarianism
difference between catastrophism and uniformitarianism
Catastrophism: A quick series of catastrophic events accounted for changes in the earth and the fossil record
Uniformitarianism: Theory stating that Earth’s features are the result of long-term processes that continue to operate in the present as they did in the past.
Charles Lyell
Founder of modern geology
Built on ideas of uniformitarianism
Jean Baptiste Lamarck an charles darwin
One of the first scientists to attempt to explain the evolutionary process
Proposed the theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics.
Main Principles of Natural Selection
-Variation
-Heredity
-Differential reproductive success
Artifacts, Features, Ecofacts
-Portable objects made by humans.
-Large structures made by humans/ reflecting of where humans were.
-organic items that reflects human activity but are not manufactured by people. Examples include burned seeds, butchered animal bones
Site Survey Methods (3)
-Pedestrian Survey
-Shovel Testing
- Remote Sensing Methods (LIDAR)
Geophysical Survey Techniques
-Electrical resistivity
-Magnetometry
-Ground penetrating radar
-Side Scan Sonar
the 2 refuses
Primary- Archaeological materials left at the place they were used or produced.
Secondary- Archaeological materials removed from the place they were originally used or produced to a designated refuse area. Example: trash pit or garbage dump
How Human and Prehuman Skeletal Remains are Analyzed (Age at death and sex)
Age at death- baby teeth, the shaft of a long bone
Sex- the pelvis
Relative vs. Absolute dating
Relative- Stratigraphy.
Absolute- Provides an actual date.
Radiocarbon Dating
-Method for dating organic materials up to 50,000 years old.
-Measures the decay of a radioactive isotope of carbon
-carbon (14C), 14C has a half-life of 5,730 years
Potassium-Argon and Argon-Argon Dating
-The Argon dating methods are absolute dating methods based on radiometric decay
Measures amount of argon 40 (40AR) buildup in volcanic rock
-Radioactive potassium (40K) has a half-life of 1.25 billion years
-The argon dating methods are useful for dating early hominin sites
The earliest hominins include:
(the ealiest and latest date and cranial capacities)
-Sahelanthropus tchadensis (Date - 7 mya, Cranial capacity - 320 to 380 cm3)
-Orrorin tugenensis
-Ardipithecus ramidus (Date - 4.4 mya, Cranial capacity - 300 to 350 cc)
The Australopithecines include:
(the earliest and latest date and cranial capacites)
A. anamensis (Date - 4.2 to 3.8 mya, Cranial Capacity - about 365 cc)
A. afarensis
A. africanus (Date - 4 to 3 million years ago, Cranial Capacity - average 450 cc)
derived trait vs primitive trait
Derived: refers to a feature that is present in a recent lineage but absent in the last common ancestor.
Primitive: refers to a feature that is inherited from the common ancestor.
Some significant A. afarensis sites include
-Hadar, Ethiopia
-Dikika, Ethiopia
-Laetoli, Tanzania
robust australopithecines traits
-Large jaw
-Large molars to grind hard foods with nutrition
-Megadontia
-saggital crest (on top of skull)
-zygomattic(cheekbones)
Homo erectus earliest dates and location
and significance of brain capacity?
1.9 million years- 200 000 years ago.
-Koobi Fora, Kenya
-Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania
-800cm3-1200cm3
-controlled use of fire
Homo floresiensis earliest dates and locations.
-Indonesian island of Flores
-date between 60,000 and 100,000 years ago.
oldowan tools used by:
-Homo habilis (2.4-1.4 mya)
Achulean tools used by:
- Homo erectus (1.9mya-200 000 ya)
