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Introduction to Archaeology (keya) > Archaeology > Flashcards

Archaeology Flashcards

1
Q

what is Archaeology

A

Archaeology is the search for fact. The study of human history and prehistory through the excavation of sites and the analysis of artefacts and other physical remains.

Archaeology is the scientific study of past cultures and the way people lived based on the things they left behind.

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2
Q

difference btw Archaeology and Palaeontology

A

Paleontology and archaeology are two closely related scientific fields of study. Despite having several similarities, they have different and distinct goals. A Paleontologist studies fossils while an archaeologist studies human artifacts and its remains.

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3
Q

how do archaeologist’s spend most of their time

A

Seventy percent of all archaeology is done in the library.
*Research.
*Reading

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4
Q

what does the study include

A
  1. artifact-portable
  2. ecofact- organic artifact
  3. feature-non portable
  4. structure-constructed building
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5
Q

What is the Archaeological Record?

A

*Traces of the Human past.
*The archaeological record is patterned by human activities and the natural environment.
*Includes
–Artifacts
–ecofacts
–features etc.
*Affected by the age of the material, preservational environment, excavation technique.

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6
Q

what are artefacts ?

A

*Anything used, made or modified by humans.
*Portable objects

*Includes stone tools, pottery, bone objects, etc.

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7
Q

what inquiries do you make when you find an artefact. OR how do you evaluate an artefact ?

A

–chronology,
–technology,
–geography and environment (origin of the raw material),
–Economy: trade contacts,
–Beliefs and ideas: pictoral decoration
–type of food consumed & diets: through residue analysis, shapes of pots

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8
Q

what are ecofacts?

A

*Non-artifactual, organic and environmental remains

*These are usually things that were used but not modified (directly) by humans in the past.
*Includes nutshells, animal bone, botanical remains, etc.

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9
Q

how is ecofacts different from artefacts ?

A

ecofacts - These are usually things that were used but not modified (directly) by humans in the past.

artefacts - Anything used, made or modified by humans.

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10
Q

what information do ecofacts provide ?

A

–environments of the past.
–Diet
–Climate
–Development of food acquiring techniques

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11
Q

what are Features & architectural remains?

A

*Non-portable evidence of past human activity.
*These include things like hearths, structures, burials, etc.

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12
Q

what information do Features & architectural remains provide ?

A

–Social structure
–Technology
–Political institution
–Beliefs etc

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13
Q

what is Paleosols and is soil developed ?

A

–Paleosols are soil profiles that formed in the past and are buried by more recent deposition.
–These paleosols represent stable surfaces in the past and can have archaeological sites associated with them.

*Soil develops during stable periods of a landscape.

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14
Q

what is difference btw soil and sediment ?

A

*Sediments are soils that are brought to an area through wind, water, etc.

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15
Q

how is soil and sediments related to archaeology

A

Sediments in and in the area of archaeological sites provide an invaluable source of information on palaeoenvironments and past human activities. Examination of the composition, texture, and structure of sediments has been used successfully in many sites of different kinds to reconstruct palaeoclimates.

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16
Q

what is Geoarchaeology

A

Geoarchaeology is the application of earth science principles and techniques to the understanding of the archaeological record.

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17
Q

what is the relationship between archaeology and anthropology

A

Archaeology and Anthropology has joint heritage and separate identities. Anthropology looks at structures of meaning as they exist in the present; archaeology provides a long-term perspective on the development of systems of meaning and the general conditions through which human meanings can be generated.

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18
Q

what is an Archaeological site

A

*Distinct spatial clustering of material- residue (lost, broken, discarded, hidden) of human material resulting from human activity over a period of time.
–Garbage dump of the past
–Rubbish bin of the ancient societies
–Garbage-archaeology or the “Garbology project”

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19
Q

what are the two main types of archeological sites ?

A
  1. Pre-Historic Sites
  2. Post Pre-Historic Sites
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20
Q

types of Pre-Historic Sites?

A

Primary Sites or Factory Sites
Secondary Sites
Caves & Rockshelters

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21
Q

types of Post Pre-Historic Sites?

A

Habitation Sites
Religious Sites
Burial Sites
Factory Sites
Forts
Ports
Shell Middens

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22
Q

what is a mound?

A

a mound is a deliberately constructed elevated earthen structure or earthwork, intended for a range of potential uses.

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23
Q

how is a typical habitation mound formed?

A

A typical habitation mound is the result of continuous human activity over a very long period of time.

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24
Q

what are the three evolutionary period of Human society?

A

*Prehistory
*Proto-history and
*History

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25
Q

what does the prehistory consist of?

A

Lack of written records. Evolution. Prehistoric sites relate to cultures that existed before the beginning of written records of important events or of daily life..
*Palaeolithic : Lower, Middle and Upper
*Mesolithic
*Neolithic

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26
Q

name the two types of Lower Palaeolithic methods?

A
  1. Oldowan: 2mya
  2. Acheulian 1.8mya, 1.5mya, 800,000 ya
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27
Q

what is Oldowan Technology?

A

Hard hammer percussion – involves striking a hammer against a core
-Smashing on substrate, throwing
-Produces sharp edges and flakes

28
Q

how does increasing dependence on stone tools relate to the Homo?

A

Reduced jaws
Enlarged brain
Opposable Thumb
Greater carnivory

29
Q

what causes and effects the evolution of Homo ?

A

Tools, morphology, behaviour

30
Q

what does acheulean consist of?

A
  1. Large, bifacial tools
  2. Recognized by distinctive tool types
  3. Great enigma as a long lasting tradition
31
Q

what was acheulean used for?

A

Acheulean handaxes were multi-purpose tools used in a variety of tasks. Studies of surface-wear patterns reveal the uses of the handaxe included the butchering and skinning of game, digging in soil, and cutting wood or other plant materials.

32
Q

what were the behavioural changes during the Acheulean period?

A
  1. Many sites on margins of springs, lakes, streams
  2. Waterside sites include large species (elephants, buffaloes)
  3. Fauna indicates increasing consumption of meat
  4. Hunting of large animals unlikely, flexibility of meat eating through hunting and scavenging
33
Q

start and end of the Middle Palaeolithic Era?

A

250,000 - 50,000 BP

34
Q

how did the tools improve in the Middle Palaeolithic compared to achuelean?

A

Tools made by ‘leavallois flaking’ from blade cores, these were associated with the H.Sapiens (modern humans)

35
Q

where was the Aurignacian culture located and what era it belonged to?

A

Europe and south west Asia, and flourished between 43,000 and 36,000 BP.
it belonged to the Upper Palaeolithic Era

36
Q

where was the Gravettian culture located and what era ?

A

across Europe, sites generally date between 33,000 to 20,000 BP.
it belonged to the Upper Palaeolithic Era

37
Q

where was the Solutrean culture located and what era?

A

TheSolutreanculture was located in eastern France, Spain, and England. Solutrean artifacts have been dated c. 22,000 to 17,000 BP.
it belonged to the Upper Palaeolithic Era

38
Q

where was the Magdalenian culture located and what era?

A

TheMagdalenianculture left evidence from Portugal to Poland during the period from 17,000 to 12,000 BP.
it belonged to the Upper Palaeolithic Era

39
Q

what are the Characteristics of Fully Modern Behaviour?

A
  1. Diversity and standardization of artifacts
  2. Increase in rate of artifact change
  3. First shaping of bone, ivory, shell
  4. Oldest spatial organizations
  5. Long distance transport
  6. Ceremony and ritual in art and graves
  7. Population densities increase
40
Q

give a brief about the Mesolithic?

A
  1. Pleistocene/Holocene Transition
  2. Hunter-Gatherer Complexity
  3. Mesolithic in Europe, Scandanavia, SW Asia, East Asia
41
Q

what were the environmental changes in the Mesolithic era?

A
  1. Northern latitudes after the ice sheet shifted from glacial tundra to northern forest.
  2. Pleistocene mammals such as mammoth, mastodon, Bison antiquus, camelids, others extinct.
  3. Temperatures became warmer, rainfall increased.
  4. All responsible for major changes in complexity.
42
Q

Give a brief about the Catal Hoyuk, Turkey?

A
  1. Settlement in southern Anatolia, dating from
    around 7500B.C.E. for the lowest layers.
  2. Multiple murals and figurines are found throughout the settlement, on interior and exterior walls.
  3. Also, clay figurines of women have been found in the upper levels of the site.
43
Q

what is the transition from Mesolithic to Neolithic also known as?

A

Childe’s Neolithic Revolution

44
Q

what does Childe’s Neolithic Revolution OR transition from Mesolithic to Neolithic consists of?

A
  1. ‘self-sufficing’ economy (Food Production)
    increased population growth
  2. ‘opportunity and a motive for the accumulation of surplus’
  3. Allowed/ encouraged sedentism
    pottery
  4. Textile production,
    (cultivation of fibre crops, breeding of sheep for wool)
  5. Tendencies of change in ‘magico-religious notions’. (New importance of fertility cults linking ancestors with earth from which crops arise.)
45
Q

List the Diseases Acquired From Domesticated Animals in the Neolithic?

A
  1. Measles
  2. Tuberculosis
  3. Smallpox
  4. Influenza
  5. Pertussis
(“whooping cough”)
46
Q

List the Diseases Acquired From Cattle Animals in the Neolithic?

A
  1. Measles
  2. Tuberculosis
  3. Smallpox
47
Q

List the Diseases Acquired From pigs in the Neolithic?

A
  1. Influenza
  2. Pertussis
(“whooping cough”)
48
Q

List the Diseases Acquired From Domesticated animals with the categories of animal in the Neolithic?

A
  1. Measles - Cattle (rinderpest)
  2. Tuberculosis - Cattle
  3. Smallpox - Cattle (cowpox) or other livestock with
    related pox viruses
  4. Influenza - pigs, ducks
  5. Pertussis
(“whooping cough”) - pigs, dogs
49
Q

what were the key THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEDENTISM ?

A
  1. Mixed economies of
    hunting/gathering/domestication by 10,000 B.P.
  2. Differential domestication of plants and animals
  3. Village settlement
  4. Complex social systems
50
Q

what is proto history?

A
  1. a branch of study concerned with the transition period between prehistory and the earliest recorded history.
  2. the period in a culture immediately before its recorded history begins.
51
Q

explain proto history in asian context (India and Pakistan)

A

In Asian context particularly India and Pakistan this line of distinction is very hazy.

Harappan civilization was literate civilization as evident from its architecture, city planning, art objects and script. But still the script has not been deciphered.

But based on the evidence it is impossible to call as prehistoric or historic cultures. Due to which the intervening period is called as Protohistoric.

52
Q

what changes did the FOOD PRODUCTION SOCIETIES bring in?

A
  1. Demise of Hunting and Gathering
  2. Increased Sedentism
  3. Population Growth
  4. Technological Development
  5. Social Inequality
  6. Environment Disturbances
  7. The Development of Agriculture and
    Domestication of Plants and Animals
53
Q

when did the FOOD PRODUCTION SOCIETIES start?

A

10,000 years onwards

54
Q

what did the STATE BASED SOCIETIES consist of?

A
  1. Cities
  2. Political Control
  3. Empires
  4. Bureaucracy
  5. Writing
  6. Trade
  7. Money
  8. Military Organization
55
Q

when did the STATE BASED SOCIETIES start?

A

The Development of Nation States 7,000 years onwards

56
Q

what were the developments in the INDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES compared to STATE BASED SOCIETIES?

A
  1. Class Stratification
  2. Urbanisation
  3. Population Growth
  4. Resource Depletion
  5. Environmental Alterations
  6. Fossil Fuels
57
Q

what does a civilisation consist of?

A
  1. Rise of cities
  2. Growth of Government. Usually monarchs (King and Queens)
  3. Artistic Activity - Temples, Pyramids, Palaces, Painting, and Sculpture
  4. Use of Writing - First was Cuneiform in Sumer
  5. New Social Structure, Different social classes emerge
  6. Emergence of Religion, Priests take an active role.
  7. Culture - The way of life of a group of people
58
Q

what are historic sites?

A

are those created by societies with written records and historic documents which include inscriptions, official records, etc.

59
Q

what do historic sites contain?

A

Language and Script

60
Q

give an example of an historic site?

A

6th century BC onwards, in India Ashokan edicts in Brahmi and Kharoshti

61
Q

what is Historic, Medieval sites?

A

*Written records available but are elitist and do not deal with common man.
* Mostly they are in form of victory verses, eulogies, land grants, foreign records etc.

62
Q

give an example of a Historic, Medieval site ?

A

An inscription records the gift of one of the top architraves of the Southern Gateway by the artisans of the Satavahana king Satakarni “Gift of Ananda, the son of Vasithi, the foreman of the artisans of rajan Siri Satakarni“

63
Q

what are some criticisms that archaeologists/archaeology deal with?

A

“We are concerned here with methodical digging for systematic information, not with the upturning of earth in a hunt for the bones of saints and giants or the armoury of heroes, or just plainly for treasure”.

“Archaeology is destruction”. Mortimer Wheeler Archaeology From the Earth (1954)

“Archeology is the only branch of anthropology where we kill our informants in the process of studying them.”

It is a systematic destruction of the past ! Systematic destruction; because every tiny detail is recorded for future reference.

64
Q

explain thoroughly the deep meaning of archaeology

A

a) The archaeological record is by its own nature incomplete.
The complete material transcription of human settlements life is by itself impossible.
Even with exceptional conservation conditions walls might be rebuild, tools adapted
or modified.

b) The archaeological record is always the result of a conservation process.
The fact is that conservation and destruction processes deeply modify remains.
Environmental conditions and civilizational development processes can damage the
conservation of archaeological deposits.

c) The archaeological record is heterogeneous and therefore material culture appears
as an extremely complex matter. Cultures and especially human experience are not
based on standard repetitive paradigms that reproduce again and again the same
material outcome. This condition is aggravated by the fact that conservation can be
different in similar archaeological sites.

65
Q

explain the brief summary of archaeology

A

*study of ancient past or cultures
through
–Recovery
–Documentation
–Analysis
–interpretation of material remains

*It is also a combination of
–Excitement and curiosity
–Knowledge
–Archaeological imagination
–A way of thinking
–A time and space framework

66
Q

name some term that make archaeology “destructive science”

A
  1. slash and burn archaeology
  2. loss of context /
  3. today non-destructive non-invasive methodology
  4. Loss of cultural sites
  5. Archaeology a conflict zone

Introduction to Archaeology (keya) (1 decks)

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