Chapter 1 & 2: Flashcards
What are the 4 subfields of Anthropology?
Linguistics, Cultural anthropology, Physical/Biological anthropology , and Archeaology {PALC]
What is a archeological site?
a place where human activity occurred, items that were left behind can be recovered in this place
Anthropology strives to be ___ and ___ in its approach.
Holistic and integrative
- studying human behavior and biology as a whole to understand humans
what are ethnographers?
they study humans by residing in a particular society and observing human behavior
What is ethnography?
go beyond studying a group, they compare it to other cultures, this is a form cultural anthropology
Cultural Anthropology:
Ethnography, ethnology
Biological Anthropology:
primatology, human variation (forensic) , and paleoanthropology (evolution)
What are “material remains”?
anything made or use by humans
Who is John Frere?
he brought upon the concept of stratigraphy. He noticed that items were found in layers, just like the bones were found above the tools.
what is the three-stage system?
culture changes through time, such in the tools: stone, bronze, iron stage
Who was Charles Darwin?
focused on evolution: implies systematic change over time
Did Darwin say “survival of the fittest”?
No, it was Herbert Spencer, a UK politician
what are three types of evidence?
human remains, artifacts, and ecofacts.
What are ecofacts?
environmental elements that show use or activity, such as bones used for foods, plant remains, seeds, etc. IT WAS NOT MADE BY PEOPLE.
What is taphonomy?
the study of how paleontological remains ended up in a particular place
what is primary refuse?
artifacts and ecofacts left at place they were used or produced
what secondary refuse?
place their used/produced items to a designated area
what analysis can be done to artifacts?
TRACE ELEMENT ANALYSIS: chemical make up of artifacts
What ways can someone identify the chemical makeup?
neutron activation analysis and x-ray fluorescence
how does pollen help?
changes in pollen levels tells us about the environment
what is palynology?
the identifications of plants through the remains of their pollen grains
how do we know if a skeleton was male?
- large, heavier, denser, and rougher bones
- larger, heavier skulls
- larger and rougher area for muscle attachment
- in some cases, they have a large ridge of bone above the eye sockets
how do we know if a skeleton is female?
- lighter bones
- has microfractures due to birth
Age of death:
- teeth erupt at different times
- long bones fuse as we age
- cranial sutures - fuse as we age
- bones can tell us about injuries or diseases
Determining the age of a site:
radiometric dating: any dating technique based on the measurement of radioactive decay
Radioactive Dating techniques:
- K/Ar dating, but argon/argon dating is more accurate
- can be used to check the age of a rock, but not an artifact made from a rock - 14 C dating
Biological Dating Techniques:
Dendrochronology - tree-ring dating
- one ring = 1 year
- width affected by weather
Ethics of Archaeology:
- starting in mind and late 20th century, international laws to prohibit removal of cultural objects without permission
