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ant201: World Prehistory > Chapter 3: Early Hominins > Flashcards

Chapter 3: Early Hominins Flashcards

1
Q

Lithic analysis

A

the archaeologicial study of stone tools

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2
Q

Knapping

A

the manufacture of stone tools

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3
Q

Percussion

A

a sharp blow to a rock in order to break off a smaller piece

ex. lower Paleolithic tools

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4
Q

Flake

A

the piece that is struck off

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5
Q

Core

A

the piece from which the flake is struck

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6
Q

Ventral face

A

the sureface that is split off of the core

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7
Q

Bulb of precussion

A
  • a convex area at the end where it was struck
  • produced when the force of the blow enters the rock as a cone (like stone dropped in water)
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8
Q

Direct percussion

A

a hit directly at the core

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9
Q

Hard-hammer direct percussion

A

a rock used as a hammer

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10
Q

Soft-hammer direct percussion

A
  • either an antler or a piece of hardwood is used
  • allows the knapper to produce thin flakes with a less pronounced bulb of percussion
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11
Q

Indirect percussion

A
  • the use of an intermediary device known as a punch between the hammer and the core
  • advantage - the precise placement of the blow can be controlled
  • used in making long blades or shaping arrowheads
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12
Q

Pressure techniques

A
  • same as percussion except pressure is applied
  • used for very fine shaping of tools
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13
Q

Retouch

A

the careful secondary shaping of a core or flake

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14
Q

Stones used by knappers

A

are brittle and fine grained and do not have internal features that determine the direction in which they break

ex. flint (chert), basalt, and obsidian are used to make stone tools

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15
Q

Hominins

A

all the members of the human lineage after it split with the chimpanzee lineage

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16
Q

Sahelanthropus tchadensis

A

a possible early member of the hominin lineage 7 million years ago

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17
Q

Ardipithecus ramidus

A

an early species in the hominin lineage 4.5 million years ago

18
Q

Radiation

A
  • a period in which there is a rapid increase in the diversity of a single lineage
  • occurred in hominin lineage 4-2 million years ago
19
Q

Australopithecine

A

a hominin genus that lived in Africa 4-1.8 million years ago

20
Q

Laetoli

A

in Tanzania where tracks of australopithecine footprints were found, showing that australopithecines walked upright

21
Q

Homo habilis

A

earliest species in the genus Homo 2.5-1.6 million years ago

22
Q

Homo erectus

A

first hominin found on sites outside of Africa 1.9-1.5 million years ago

23
Q

East African Rift Valley

A

a geo-logical feature stretching from East Africa to the Middle East that is the richest context for the recovery of early hominin archaeological sites

24
Q

Olduvai Gorge

A
  • most impressive and important location in the East African Rift Valley for the study of human evolution
  • Australopithecus afarensis
25
Q

Lower Paleolithic

A

the period when hominins began producing stone tools

26
Q

Oldowan Lower Paleolithic

A

stone tool industry characterized by choppers and flakes

27
Q

Acheulian

A
  • lower Paleolithic stone tool industry
  • handaxes and cleavers
28
Q

Bifaces

A
  • characteristic tools of the Acheulian
  • handaxes and cleavers
29
Q

Taï Forest

A
  • location where chimpanzees use stone hammers and anvils to break open hard nuts
  • tools found not manufactured
30
Q

Hadar

A

East African Rift Valley where many important fossils, including the near-complete fossil of an australopithecine, and some of the earliest known stone tools have been discovered

31
Q

Lomekwi

A

in Kenya where earliest stone tools 3.2 million years ago have been found

32
Q

Lokalalei

A

in Kenya and indicates that stone tool manufacture at this early date was more complex than anticipated

33
Q

FLK North (FLKN)

A

in Olduvai Gorge where the remains of an elephant were found together with stone tools

34
Q

Home-base/food-sharing model

A

the sharing of meat at base camps as a fundamental part of the lives of early hominins

35
Q

DK

A

in Olduvai Gorge where a stone circle was found suggesting evidence of a temporary structure built on a home-base site

36
Q

Palimpsest

A

produced by a series of distinct brief occupations

37
Q

Chesowanja

A

in Kenya and has produced unconfirmed evidence for the use of fire by early hominins

38
Q

Dispersal

A

an event where a single species dramatically expands its range

39
Q

Ubeidiya

A

one of the earliest archaeological sites outside of Africa in Israel

40
Q

Dmanisi

A

oldest known archaeological site outside of Africa in the Republic of Georgia

41
Q

Sangiran and Perning

A

on the island of Java where fossils of Homo erectus were found

42
Q

Nihewan Basin

A

in northern China where there is solid evidence of human occupation

ant201: World Prehistory (16 decks)

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