Archaeology Test 2

Question 1

What is a calindrical? Historical?

Answer 1

Calindrical- dates on a calendar
Historical- historical documents ex. The constitution

Question 2

What is contemporaneous?

Answer 2

Points happening at the same time.

Question 3

Relative Dating Methods

Answer 3

Stratigraphy and technology.

Question 4

Examples of Absolute dating?

Answer 4

Relies on the scientific method, based on observations about physical and chemical properties of material.

Question 5

Historical dating

Answer 5

Tied to a written document, not all written dates.

Question 6

What is cross dating?

Answer 6

Attempts to order sites based on distribution of artifacts or features with restricted distribution in space and time.

Question 7

What are Index fossils?

Answer 7

Artifacts that have a restricted existence in time and space.

Question 8

What is Seriation?

Answer 8

Two types, frequency and stylistic.
Assumes that the change of artifacts is slow and gradual.
Seriation does not always work, needs valid assumption of slow increment change.

Question 9

Absolute dating methods

Answer 9

Calendars and historical chronologies
Dendrochronology- tree ring dating.

Question 10

Why does dendrochronology not always work?

Answer 10

Trees do not like cold environments.
Not everything is a tree.
Some trees don’t have rings!

Question 11

What is radiocarbon dating?

Answer 11

Radiometric technique.
Science about radioactive decay.
Only works on organic materials.

Question 12

Multi linear Evolution

Answer 12

Hunters and gatherers
Segmentary societies
Chiefdoms
States

Question 13

What is a continuum?

Answer 13

A line, highly variable lengths incremental start and finish.

Question 14

Hunter and gatherers

Answer 14

Small populations, less than 100 people.
Highly mobile. Move frequently.
Mainly plant diet.

Question 15

Egalitarian

Answer 15

Refers to equality- everyone is equal in terms of status and access to power and prestige.
No leadership, or formal decision making.
True egalitarian does not exist.

Question 16

Segmentary societies (tribes)

Answer 16

Social system of small autonomous groups that periodically get together.
Occasional leadership.

Question 17

Sodality

Answer 17

Pan tribal association unites people on marriage age or sex
Reduction in mobility, emergence of leaders and dispersed settlements.

Question 18

Chiefdoms

Answer 18

5,000 to 20,000 people
Kinship looms large
Hereditary kinship
Redistributive economy
Large scale monuments on societies.

Question 19

States

Answer 19

Class based hierarchy
One ruler
Priestly or religious class
Market economies
Can be monotheistic and pantheistic
Formalized bureaucracy
Army
Diverse architecture
Taxation or tributes
Examples of states include Romans, Classical Greece, Ancient Egypt and ancient China, Inca or Mayans.

Question 20

Paleoanthropology

Answer 20

Studies early development of anatomically modern humans through reconstruction of evolutionary relationship.
Uses biological and cultural evidence.

Question 21

Charles Darwin

Answer 21

Philosopher
Natural selection- “descent with modification”
Survival of the fittest does not mean that only the tough survive. It means who is more successful at producing offspring?

Question 22

Human Evolution

Answer 22

Evolved over long periods of time like animals
Humans can be placed into evolutionary stages
1. We share characteristics with anthropoid apes
2. Humans exhibit high level cooperation reinforced by morality and social norms.
3. Humans capacity for social learning exceeds that in other primates.

Question 23

What is a primate

Answer 23

Humans classified with apes, monkeys, and prosimians.
Binomial nomenclature.
Dexterous hands and feet.

Question 24

Correlation and causation

Answer 24

Correlation does not equal causation which means they are not linked
For example climate change correlates with early stage hominid evolution

Question 25

Proxy records

Answer 25

Data that relies on environmental record.

Question 26

Australopithecus

Answer 26

4.2-1 million years ago
Bi pedal, shorter legs and long arms, brain size of an ape, skulls with prognathic faces.
Larger molars better for mastication.

Question 27

Gracile v robust

Answer 27

Gracile means more fragile,
Robust means more durable party hardy

Question 28

Early species of homo

Answer 28

Smaller jaws and teeth, and cranial feature similar to later homo

Question 29

Flintknapping

Answer 29

First tools 2.5 mya
The removal of stone through application of direct or indirect percussion.
Stone tools I,portent because of social learning.

Question 30

Oldowan stone tool tradition

Answer 30

2.5- 1.7. mya
Tools were easy to mimic through through observations

Question 31

Acheulean stone tools

Answer 31

Used tools to butcher and process animal carcasses, choppers
1.7- 0.25 mya
Latte acheulean, ca 600-250kya
Finer work more refined flakes and tools
Bifaces tools- exhibits indication of stone removal on both surfaces

Question 32

Bi-pedalism
Quadrupeds

Answer 32

Bi- walking on 2 feet
Quad- walking on 4 feet

Question 33

Homo ergaster

Answer 33

1.8 to 0.7 mya
Hominids in Georgia, Israel and Java/ Indonesia
Increased brain size.

Question 34

Turkanaboy

Answer 34

Most complete skeletal remains
12 year old boy 6 feet tall
Lack of sexual dyphormism

Question 35

Thermoregulation

Answer 35

Keeps you warm
Humans not covered in hair

Question 36

Mobius Line

Answer 36

Distribution of Bamboo

Question 37

More evolutions

Answer 37

Hom-erectus ca 1.6mya-50kya
Homo heidelbergenses ca 1.2 mya- 200 kya
Prognathism
Large orbital Taurus eyebrow bone
Exipetsl Taurus bulge behind the head
Lack of chin