Being Human Definitions Flashcards
Creationist
one who believes that the universe, the earth, life, and humanity are the product of the creation of an all-powerful god
Charles Darwin
father of modern science. Developed idea of adaption
Cultural relativism
each culture is unique and relative to itself
cutlure
learned transmitted behaviour
Dendrochology
tree-ring dating. The age of the tree can be determined and associated with the site at which it was found
Ethnology
comparative study of culture
Ethnography
cultural discription
Fixidity
Aline with creationalism. Things are fixed in form, no change over time. -Things wiped out and started over again
Laetoli footprint
Fossil footprint. Supports evolution
Historical archaeology
study of relatively recent documented periods using material culture as well as text
Holocene epoch
geological time we are in
hominid
Our Family
- Any creature believed to be in the direct human line.
- Bipedal locomotion is the single most salient characteristic of the hominids.
homo sapion sapiens
our biological species. The only surviving Hominid
insitu
things in place. (artifacts you can not move)
Law of superposition
stating that in any undisturbed sequence of rocks deposited in layers, the youngest layer is on the top and the oldest layer is on the bottom.
-Each layer being older then the one above it
Holocene Epoch
the recent and current geological epoch. Followed the pleistocene
Linguistics
Anthropological study of language
Lucy
common name of Australopithecus
Osterdontokratic
The tool kit Australopithecus used. They built out of bone, teeth, and horn.
Pleistocene epoch
geological epoch beginning about 2.6 million years ago.
-Marked by a succession of colder periods (glacial)
Prehistoric Archaeology
When we have no written record. Study from material remains
Primate
our biological order
Prosimins
first primates
quarterary period
Period we are currently in, started 2 million years ago
Radiometric
form of absolute dating, implies you can measure decay
relative dating
dating developed by comparison
sexual dimorphism
different size in male and female
stratigraphy
layers of the earth
uniformatarism
same events today, happened years ago. We can use today to explain things before
unilineal evolution
The no longer accepted view that all cultures change or evolve along the same pathway.
Miocene epoch
25 to 5 million years ago. Forests were more extensive. Arboreally adapted ape species thrived
Forensic Anthropology
looking at bones to tell us about health or illness
endocast
fossilized brain, mud cast of what the brain looks like
biological anthropology
looks at human physical change and variation over time
interglacial
between glacial events
radiocarbon dating
a form of carbon dating. Based on the decay of carbon.
-carbon dating can be applied to anything that was once part of a living organism within a range from 50,000 to 500 years ago.
Ethnohistory
the study of cultures and customs by examining historical records
3 point provenince
is the position of an archaeological find in time and space, recorded three-dimensionally
Absolute dating
the determination of the age on an object with reference to a specific time scale
adaptation
mode or strategy for survival, can be physical or cultural
Anthropology
the study of humanity
Archaeology
the study of humanity through the analysis of material remains
Artifacts
an object manufactured by a human being or a human ancestor. Portable
Australopithecus
Genus. Ape shape brain with modern human behavioural traits of bipedal locomotion
Cenozoic era
is the current and most recent of the three Phanerozoic geological eras.
- From 66 million years ago to the present.
- Followed the mesozoic era
Cuneiform
The earliest form of writing in the world.
-Used nearly 6,000 years ago by pressing standardized symbols into wet vlay.
Geomorphology
The study of physical features (landforms) on the surface of the earth
Varves
Thin geological layers of slit/ or clay that record annual water deposits in the area. Can be used to study past weather conditions, flooding, lakes, ect.
