ANTHRO Study Guide Flashcards
Why do archaeologists study technology?
Piece together the complexities of past societies
What is the Chaîne Opératoire approach?
Framework in archaeology that focuses on the sequence of steps involved in the production and use of artifacts
What factors govern how materials are procured and transported?
- resource availability
- technological capability
- environmental conditions
- cultural practices
- temporal factors
What factors govern how materials are transformed?
- material properties
- economics
- environmental conditions
How do archaeologists predict how tools were used?
- wear patterns
- experimental archaeology
- contextual analysis (where the tools were found)
- materials used to build it
What is an operational chain?
The sequence of processes and actions involved in the production, use, and disposal of artifacts
How does it help us to understand technology?
- innovation and adaptation
- skills and knowledge needed to make artifacts, tools, etc
- economic insights: how technology influenced economic practices, including trade and resource management
How can we identify trade archaeologically?
- materials used
- settlement patterns
- written records
What are some techniques that archaeologists can use to trace where people came from?
- radiocarbon dating: establishing the dates of materials
- drawing maps based on written documentation
- linguistic evidence
Archaeology may seem irrelevant or inconsequential. What is the point?
- understanding human history
- lessons of the past
- technological advances
- global awareness
How do archaeologists compare societies of different size and complexity?
- social structure
What is the difference between achieved and ascribed status?
- achieved status is a social position that an individual attains as a result of their actions, choices, skills, or accomplishments
- ascribed status is a social position assigned at birth or involuntarily acquired, often based on characteristics such as race, gender, ethnicity, or family background
What might cause states to form? For example, the ancient Egyptian state.
- population growth
- centralized authority
- religious factors
- technological advances
Why is writing often associated with state development?
- writing was used for record keeping
- centralized authority: where records were kept
How were Maya cities organized? How did they relate to one another?
- central core: ceremonial, political, religious structure (temples)
- elite near enter, commoners outskirts
- trade networks, cultural exchange
What is the relationship between warfare and states?
How war has shaped the development, organization and collapse of societies.
- evidence of conflict resulting in state formation
- resource control
- cultural identity
Archaeology may seem irrelevant or inconsequential. What is the point?
Holds signifiant value,
- understanding human history
- cultural heritage
- lessons from the past
- global awareness
What is cultural resource management archaeology?
How is archaeology different from pseudoarchaeology?
It has and requires:
- evidence
- peer review work
- aims/ has goals to answer questions
