archaeology--questions Flashcards
1
Q
How does archaeology relate to the other subdisciplines in anthropology?
A
- it’s the study of material remains and their spatial relations to understand past human behavior.
- related because it has historical dimensions and comparative case studies.
- can fill the gaps that written records cannot.
2
Q
How is archaeology different from history?
A
- both the study of the past and present, and even future.
- history is based on written material, and its pretty limited.
- archeology can fill the gaps where written history cannot.
3
Q
What four stages will most artifacts go through before they enter the archaeological record?
A
- the record is based on cultural and natural processes, but its not usually reflective of the past.
- before anything can enter the record, they need to be classified as either a artifact, ecofact, feature, or a archeological site.
- artifacts are any objects that can be modified by humans.
- ecofacts are objects that are found in nature utilized be people.
- features are non portable objects that cant be moved.
- archeological site is obviously an areas where evidence is preserved.
- the four ways an item can enter the record are:
- aqusition (how you aquire it)
- Manufacture (the production)
- Use (the tools purpose)
- Deposition (artifact is useless and thrown away).
- An object can enter the record at any stage.
- The record can be affected by natural factors like weathering or cultural like human behavior.
4
Q
What is the difference between primary and secondary context?
A
- Primary context are undisturbed sites that were left as they were by the people who used them.
- Secondary context occurs when the site has been disturbed.
- The rule of thumb is that things in the same area are associated with each other.
- Provenience is the 3D location of the object.
5
Q
What is the difference between relative and absolute dating?
A
- Relative dating is dating in relation to something else, but its not precise.
- Absolute dating can give you precise age of sites.
6
Q
What are the limitations of radiocarbon dating?
A
radiocarbon dating is the measure of the half life of Carbon-14 (unstable), which is found in almost all living things. there are many limitations to it:
- when you get down to the end there’s not enough C14 to collect more data.
- there’s always a small margin for error (but it’s still pretty accurate).
- contamination before sampling; carbon in groundwater, modern plant roots, etc.
- contamination during sampling; cardboard labels, glue, mould, etc.
- sample is older than context (e.g. old wood used to build house)
- e.g. drift wood can circulate in the arctic ocean for centuries and people could come along and use this wood that’s much older than the context
- some materials contain ancient carbon (e.g. sea mammal bone)
- maximum date about 50,000 years; that’s pushing it, most of the time only 40,000 years
7
Q
What are the five main classes of archaeological data?
A
- Artifacts
- any object made or modified by people
- archaeologists specialize in particular types, especially: stone tools, ceramics (pottery)
- form (size and shape)
- technology (how it was made)
- style (color, texture, decoration)
- function
- Ecofacts
- natural object used or affected by people
- Features
- non-portable material remains
- midden: a concentrated area of refuse (garbage)
- simple features; e.g. hearths (fire place), burials, storage pits, post holes
- complex features—combinations of simple features; e.g. buildings (houses, temples, granaries, etc.)
- Sites
- a place where evidence of past human activity is preserved
- spatial clusters of artifacts, features, and/or ecofacts
- boundaries may be well or poorly defined
- site may be complex (e.g. a city) or simple (e.g. a kill site)
- Regions
- largest and most flexible spatial cluster
- you can’t understand a culture just by looking at one site; need to know how everything interacts with one another
- defined:
- geographically; river, drainage, a valley, an island
- ecologically; a “boreal forest”, “arctic”
- culturally; e.g. an area occupied by the Huron-Wendat
- allow investigation of entire cultural systems
- particularly important for subsistence, social organization
8
Q
What is ethnoarchaeology?
A
- archaeologists observing modern peoples with archaeological questions in mind (e.g. where do they put their garbage?)
- example: modern Alaskan Inuit, how are artifacts distributed around a hearth?
- the “drop zone”: small bone chips, stone chips
- the “toss zone”: larger objects thrown father away
- this allowed the interpretation of stone tool waste at the French Upper Palaeolithic site of Pincevent
9
Q
What are the major mechanisms of cultural change?
A
- Innovation is a completely never before seen invention.
- Diffusion occurs when one society has a useful object, that object can now spread to other cultures because its also useful to them.
- This sharing is called acculturation.
10
Q
What is the difference between a core tool and a flake tool?
A
- Core tools were rocks that had flakes removed
- so like a larger flake that had smaller ones removed, and pieces that were removed from a smaller one were flakes.
- The outer layer of a core is known as the cortex.
- to actually make a flake you can use different methods against the platform (point of impact).
- percussion flake (striking 2 rocks), pressure flaking (pushing to break rock off)
- direct percussion is using a chisel and then striking it with a hammer.
- You can retouch flake tools.
11
Q
What do Oldowan stone tools tell us about Homo habilis behaviour?
A
- stone tool production is correlated with large brain, reduced jaws, and increased meat eating.
- East Africa—many sites with fairly tight clusters of bones and stone tools.
- however, in many cases both hominids and carnivores were present.
- these sites were originally clusters of shade trees to which many species were drawn.
- importanve of plant vs. animal foods not clear; but were definitely processing bones nd eating meat to a greater extent than chimps or australopithecines.
- savening may have been important, especially for marrow-rich bones which other carnivores could not easily use.
- experiments have shown that core tools are useful for marrow acquisition.
- context: tools found at kill sites, which indicates hunting animals.
- experiment: flakes are particularly good for cutting through hide since they’re very sharp.
12
Q
What do Acheulean tools tell us about Homo erectus behaviour?
A
- emergence of handaxes, which were probably used as multi-purpose tools.
- microwear indicates handaxes were used on meat, bone, wood, and hide, but mainly butchery
- indicates an increase in meat consumption.
- experimental use: very good at slicing hide.
- microwear indicates handaxes were used on meat, bone, wood, and hide, but mainly butchery
- in East Asia, bifaces are rare or absent
- East Asia doesn’t have appropriate raw material for bifaces?
- cultural differences?
- East Asian populations had access to bamboo, which is vesatile and sharp, which could’ve taken the place of bifaces.
13
Q
How did Middle Palaeolithic technology differ from its predecessors?
A
- more flake tools, fewer core tools
- ore complex flaked stone tools
- some stone tools now hafted (attached to handles)
- Fine retouch along margins to control shape, angle of edge
- this represents a major advance - a prepared core is used to make regular flakes of predetermined shape
- bone tools much rarer
14
Q
What are major technological trends in the Upper Palaeolithic?
A
- increasingly specialized stone tool technology
- more complex organic industry.
- more frequent composite tools (e.g. hafting)
- more complex settlement patterns.
- more complex dwellings.
- even higher population densities
- more regular social gatherings.
- more stylystic variation in tool form over time and space.
- shift towards hunting herd animals.
- much more personal adornment.
- long distance trade.
- “art”
- indications of ritual.
- expansion of our species to most of planet.
15
Q
What can we say about Upper Palaeolithic social organization (how individuals and groups interacted with one another)?
A
- more regular social gatherings.
- indicated by large sites with ceremonial structures (e.g. caves with paintings).
- largest sites—may be aggregation points—take advantage of dense seasonal resources which required communal action (e.g. migrating herd animals).
- large sites are often associated with art, ritual, and trade, probably indicating complex social relationships.
