AR101 Exam Two Flashcards
archaeozoology
involves the identification and analysis of faunal species from archaeological sites, as an aid to the reconstruction of human diets and to an understanding of the contemporary environment at the time of deposition
australopithecus
a collective name for the earliest known hominids emerging about 5 million years ago in East Africa
context
usually consists of an artifact’s immediate matrix (the material around it e.g. gravel, clay or sand), its provenience (horizontal and vertical position in the matrix), and its association with other artifacts (with other archaeological remains, usually in the same matrix
coprolites
fossilized feces; contain food residues that can be used to reconstruct diet and subsistence activities
deep sea cores
drilled from the sea bed, provide the most coherent record of climate changes on a worldwide scale; contain shells of microscopic marine organisms (forminifera) laid down on the ocean floor through the continuous process of sedimentation. Variation in the ratio of two oxygen isotopes in the calcium carbonate of these shells give a sensitive indicator of sea temperature at the time the organisms were alive
diatom analysis
a method of environmental reconstruction based on plant microfossils; unicellular algae whose silica cell walls survive after the algae die, adn they accumulate in large numbers at the bottom of rivers and lakes. Assemblages directly reflect the floristic composition of the water’s extinct communities, as well as the water’s salinity, alkalinity, and nutrient status
diatoms
found in lake and shore sediments and thus useful for the analysis of past marine environments
domestication of wild plant species
various techniques can help to answer the crucial question of whether plant remains found in the archaeological record are from wild or domesticated species
flotations
a method of screening (sieving) excavated matrix in water so as to separate and recover small ecofacts and artifacts
ice cores
borings taken from the arctic and anarctic polar ice caps, containing layers of compacted ice useful for reconstructing paleoenvironments and as a method of absolute dating
information from animal resources
animal remains are often well-preserved on archaeological sites. It’s important to establish whether animal remains are present ona site through human agency or through other causes. We can sex and age animal bones, study their seasonality, and deduce whether the animals were wild or domesticated, all of which helps us to understand how humans were exploiting the animal environment
isotopic analysis
an important source of information on the reconstruction of prehistoric diets, this technique analyzes the ratios of the principal isiotopes preserved in human bone; in effect the method reads the chemical signatures left in the body by different foods; also used in characterization studies
macrobotanical remains
seeds and fruits, plant residues, wood; can give a good idea of what plants were present at a site, but there are problems of quantification and interpretation. It’s important to understand how a plant might have been processed and used
microbotanical remains
pollen, phytoliths, diatoms
microfauna
better indicators of climate and environmental change than macrofauna because they are much more sensitive to small variations in climate and adapt to them relatively quickly; tend to accumulate naturally on a site and refelct the immediate environment more accurately than the larger animals whose remains are often accumulated through human or animal predation
microwear analysis
the study of the patterns of wear or damage on the edge of stone tools, which provides valuable information on the way in which the tool was used
paleoethnobotany
the recovery and identification of plant remains from archaeological contextgs, used in reconstructing past environments and economies
paleoentomology
the study of insects from archaeological contexts. the survival of insect exoskeletons, which are quite resistant to decompositions, is important in the reconstruction of paleoenvironments
paleomagnetism
based on the fact that changes in the earth’s magnetic field over time can be recorded as remnant magnetism in materials such as baked clay structures (ovens, kilns, and hearths)
palynology
the study and analysis of fossil pollen as an aid to the reconstruction of past vegetation and climates
phytoliths
minute particles of silica in plant cells which survive after the rest of the plant has decomposed; some are specific to certain parts of the plant; survive very well in most archaeological sediments and can add to the picture of the environment built up from other sources
plant residues on artifacts
chemical traces of plants can be found on some artifacts (often pots and tools) and these can be tested and compared against a reference collection in order to identify a species
plant residues
can give some idea of what species were available
pollen
most useful for the study of minor fluctuations in climate over the last 12,000 years though can be preserved for millions of years in some contexts
seeds and fruits
can usually be identified to species, but interpretation can be difficult since they can be brought in to a site from elsewhere
wood
charcoal survives well in the archaeological record, and can be identified to species, but what is found tends to reflect human selection of wood rather than the full range of species growing around a site
band
a term used to describe small-scale societies of hunters and gatherers, generally less than 100 people, who move seasonally to exploit wild (undomesticated) food resources. Kinship ties play an important part in social organization
burial analysis
rank and social status are best revealed by the analysis of grave-goods within individual burials
chiefdom
a term used to describe a society that operates on the principle of ranking, i.e. differential social status. different lineages are graded on a scale of prestige, calculated by how closely related one is to the chief; generally has a permanent ritual and ceremonial center, as well as being characterized by local specialization in crafts
cultural anthropology
a subdiscipline of anthropology concerned with the non-biological, behavioral aspects of society; i.e. the social, linguistic, and technological components underlying human behavior. Two important branches: ethnography (the study of living cultures) and ethnology (which attempts to compare cultures using ethnographic evidence).
ethnicity
the existence of ethnic groups, including tribal groups; difficult to recognize from the archaeological record, study of language and linguistic boundaries shows that often correlated with language areas
ethnoarchaeology
the study of contemporary cultures with a view to understanding the behavioral relationships which underlie the production of material culture
ethnography
a subset of cultural anthropology concerned with the study of contemporary cultures through first-hand observation
hominins
the subfamily to which humans belong, as opposed to the “hominids” which include not only humans but also gorillas and chimps, and “hominoids” which group these with gibbons and orangutans
lineages
a group claiming descent from a common ancestor
material culture
the buildings, tools, and other artifacts that constitute the material remains of former societies
monuments and public works
scale and distribution can be a good indicator of social organization
obsidian
a volcanic glass whose ease of working and characteristically hard flint-like edges allowed it to be used for the making of tools
prehistory
the period of human history before the advent of writing
redistribution
a mode of exchange which implies the operation of some central organizing authority; goods are received or appropriated by the central authority, and subsequently some of them are sent by that authority to other locations
