Class Notes Before Midterm #1 Flashcards
Define Anthropology
The study of human culture and evolutionary aspects of human biology; holistic.
Define Cultural Anthropology
The study of the customs, ideas, and behaviours of contemporary cultures. Sometimes the present is studied to understand the past.
Define Culture
The strategy by which humans adapt to the natural environment; the customary ways of thinking and behaving of a particular population/society.
Define Primatology
The study of primates, especially learned behaviour.
Define Ethnology
The comparative study of cultures in contemporary cultures.
Define Ethnographic Research
Collecting information about a specific culture through field work.
Define Linguistics
Study of human speech and language.
Define Historical Linguistics
Study of how languages evolve and how they may be related.
Define Structural Linguistics
Study of human speech and language.
Define Physical Anthropology
The study of human biology within the framework of evolution.
Define Paleoanthropology
The study of the emergence of humans.
Define Molecular Anthropology
Using DNA evidence to answer anthropological questions.
Define Osteology
The study of bone; especially teeth.
Paleopathology
The study of ancient disease.
Define Archaeology
The study of human past through their material remains.
What are some subsets of Archaeology?
- Historical Archaeology (written documents/records)
- Classical Archaeology (areas around the Mediterranean/Rome/Greece)
- Pre-Contact Archaeology (before the written word)
- Underwater Archaeology
What are the research goals of Archaeology?
- Establish chronology
- Reconstruct and describe ancient life ways
- Attempt to explain current change
What is the Biocultural Model?
Biological influences as well as cultural influences have impacted out evolutionary history. Nature vs. Nurture.
Who was Charles Darwin?
1800s; Origin of Species 1859
Proposed Theory of Evolution by means of Natural Selection. Ideas included: All life on earth has common ancestry and the mechanisms of evolutionary change is natural selection, which depends on Variation, Heritability, and Differential Reproductive Success. Alfred Wallace also proposed this.
View of the World Before Darwin
World was young, species divinely created, species were immutable.
Who was Georges Curvier?
Late 1700s-early 1800s; French.
Proposed theory of catastrophism; massive catastrophes caused the earth to change.
Who was James Hutton?
1700s; Scottish.
Dealt with Geological Strata and the concept of uniformitarianism; changes of the earth happened over a long time; naturally.
Who was John Frere?
Late 1700s; English
Used uniformitarianism and stratigraohic analysis to argue that the tools found beneath the bones of extinct animals were quite old.
Who was CJ Thomsen?
Early 1800s; Danish
3 age system; Stone > Bronze > Iron
Who was Charles Lyell?
1800s
Through the principles of Geology, determined that various archaeological features were millions of years old; evidence for the antiquity of the earth.
Who was Robert Hooke?
1600s
Cells and microscopes, determined that fossilized wood had once been living.
Who was Carolus Linnaens?
1700s
Classification system for organisms, Father of Taxonomy; idea of common ancestor.
Who was Jean Baptise Lamarck?
Mid1700s-early 1800s
Theory of acquired inheritance; things changes due to needs.
What were the Emerging Scientific world views of the mid 19th century?
The earth was old and it had changes over time; so had animals and plants.
What is the difference between a mutation and Natural Selection?
Mutation is a random event while Natural Selection is not.
Define Species
A population that consists of organisms able to interbreed and produce fertile and viable offspring.
Define Scientific Method
Lewis Binford; Observation > Hypothesis > Predictions > Test > Conclusion
Define Archaeological Site
Location of past human activity
Define Habitation Site
An area with evidence of domestic activity. Ex. Tipi ring
Define Kill Site
A site used for killing and butchering animals. Ex. Buffalo Jump
Define Ceremonial Site
Site with an amount of significance attributed to it, usually because current populations know of it. Ex. Herschel Petroglyph.
Define Historical Site
Access to documents with the site; ex. Last Mountain House
Define Site Survey
Found accidentally or while surveying the land.
