Archeology Final Flashcards
Glacial extent
a period of time where certain parts of the land are covered in ice, which sculpts and forms the land beneath it, and moves earth materials
Palaeolithic period
start of humans in North America until 8000 BC
Laurentide Ice Sheet
glacier that covered almost all of Canada until around 18 to 10,000 BC
Bering Land Bridge
a theory of how people originally got to North America, where they traveled over from Russia through land that connected Russia and modern day Alaska, after the sea levels in this area dropped enough 33,000 BC
Kelp hypothesis
a theory of how people originally arrived in North America, where they traveled along kelp in the Pacific Ocean from South East Asia
Solutrean hypothesis
a theory that people originally came to North America from Europe, travelling along packs of ice in the Atlantic Ocean
Ceruti Mastodon site (San Diego, USA)
mammoth bones dating to 130,000 years ago that were smashed by humans with rock weapons, earliest evidence of humans in North America
Earliest clear and undisputed evidence of humans in North America
around 10 or 12,000 BC, after a period of warming in Greenland
Chiquihuite Cave (Mexico)
evidence of humans from the last glacial interval in North America in 30,000 BC
Lake Otero Basin
site in New Mexico where they found fossilized footprints dating 21,000 BC
Clovis culture
one of the oldest North American civilizations, lived in the time of mammoths
Cactus Hill
site in Virginia, likely pre-dates the Clovis civilization
Gault
site in Texas where artifacts dated 18,000 BC were found
Swan Point
site in Alaska that shows evidence of immigration from Japan and Siberia
Squash / Cucurbits / Pumpkin
originally hollowed out and used to carry water
Common bean
domesticated in North America 6000 BC
Chenopodium berlandieri
seeds native to Ontario and USA
Natural corn / maize
native to Mexico since 7000 BC, became the main food source later on
Cacao
native to Mesoamerica 2000 BC
Mesoamerica period
8000 to 2000 BC
4.2-kiloyear event
2200 BC, massive worldwide period of extreme drying (East NA), while some other areas had massive flooding (West NA)
Cerro de las Conchas shell mound
site in Mexico, one of the earliest sites in Mesoamerica, dating back to around 5000 BC
Basketmakers cultures
cultures native to South West USA (4 corners) who were defined by their ability to make baskets, later became the Pueblo people
Early pre classic period
2000 to 1000 BC, earliest evidence of agriculture and maize use as a staple
4 corner states
Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico
Olmec civilizations
group of people located in Southern Mexico, known for their stone architecture and sculptures, pre-dated Mayans, Aztecs, and Teotihuacan
Teotihuacan
largest Mayan site, known for it’s massive population and cultural significance
Urbanization (Teotihuacan)
Teotihuacan was well known for the complex city design and massive urbanization
3 main temple pyramids of Teotihuacan
Sun temple, Moon temple, and Feathers Serpent temple
Ceramics (Teotihuacan)
Teotihuacan had advanced ceramic plates, bowls, cups, and vases
Artifacts (Teotihuacan)
Teotihuacan had incense burning sculptures that were used to light courtyards and also as offerings at graveyards for the dead
Obsidian trade (Teotihuacan)
Teotihuacan was located near main obsidian sources, which they used their political system to trade through large networks, these networks spanned all of Southern Mexico as well as parts of Belize and Guatemala
Teotihuacan collapse (year)
around 600
Theories to the end of Teotihuacan
- Invasion: from another society (like Tikal), because of their power and influence
- Droughts: that happened in 800 in Mesoamerica, it was been hard to support large population
- Economic decline: they couldn’t hold their trade network outpost cities because they were too far
- Revolt: the citizens revolted agains the political leaders for being greedy with resources
Mayan culture (year + location)
formed around 0 and ended in 1500, though most Mayan cities fell in 900, in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala
Mayans innovations
365-day calendar, hieroglyph language, stone architecture, mathematics, and the idea of ‘0’
Divine kingship
Mayan belief where their kings were seen as god or chosen by gods
Tikal
Mayan city state, one of the largest sites in Mesoamerica, one of the most powerful kingdoms in ancient Maya, collapsed in 900
Palenque
small Mayan city in Mexico, that was built on higher elevation land, known for beautiful sculptures and architecture
Altun Ha
small Mayan site in Belize
Caracol
large Mayan site in Belize, that used water reservoirs and low density urbanism
Chichen Itza
large Mayan site in Mexico on the Yucatan Peninsula, where they played a hip-ball game on a large court
Cabo
large Mayan city in Mexico on the Yucatan Peninsula, largest network of stone roads
Collapse of Maya
the Mayan society collapsed in the 800-900s, likely because of drought, the Mayans who survived were later eliminated in the Spanish Conquest in 1519
Mississippian period
1000-1500, defined by pottery with mussel shells, the domestication of corn allowed people to eat more and expand more, people started following the rivers and building sites around them, sites concentrated in South East USA
Mound groups
tall man-made mounds made out of dirt and ground materials, used to cover plazas or storage areas
Carson
site in Mississippi with many large and small earthen mounds
Moundville Park
site in Alabama where they built structures on top of their mounds
Etowah
site in Georgia with many mounds, people had individual houses, they also used palisade walls (tall wooden fences)
Cahokia
site in Illinois, largest metropolitan city north of Mexico, dependent highly on agriculture
Palaeolithic sites
- Ceruti Mastodon site: San Diego, USA, 130,000 years
- Chiquihuite Cave: Mexico, 32,000 years
- Lake Otero Basin: New Mexico, 23,000 years
- Cactus Hill: Virginia
- Gault: Texas, 20,000 years
- Swan Point: Alaska
Mayan sites
- Tikal: Mexico, collapsed 900
- Palenque: Mexico
- Caracol: Belize
- Altun Ha: Belize
- Cabo: Mexico
Mississippian sites
- Carson: Mississippi
- Moundville Park: Alabama
- Etowah: Georgia
- Cahokia: Illinois
