Exam 1 Flashcards
Anthropology
the study of all aspects of humans (biology, culture, language) past or present, using a holistic, comparative approach and the concept of culture.
Anthropology (compared to Sociology)
culture & community; non-Western; immerse oneself in culture.
Sociology (compared to Anthropology)
social problems & institutions; modern Western society; surveys & quantitative data.
Ethnocentrism
belief that your culture is superior to all others; a tendency to view other cultures from a perspective of your own.
Cultural relativity
all cultures are equal, none are superior; regarding the beliefs, values, & practices of one culture from that culture’s perspective.
Archaeology, biollogy, culture, linguistic.
Sub-fields of anthropology
Archaeology
the study of past humans based on investigation of their material remains.
When/where/how did humans live in the past?
Why did changes take place in past societies?
How did a site come to be?
Why are some sites/artifacts preserved & not others?
Preserve the past for the present.
Goals of archaeology
Classical, prehistoric, historic, public.
Types of archaeology
Classical archaeology
Western Asia, Egypt, Europe.
Prehistoric archaeology
no written records; New World - before arrival of Europeans (preColombian); Old World - Paleolithic to Bronze Age; small scale, nomadic, chieftain-level societies.
Historic archaeology
written history; New World - European expansion.
Contact period archaeology
Europeans arriving/interacting with natives; domesticating animals.
Public archaeology
applied anthropology; managing sites, preservation, education, politics.
Present (BP)
1950
stewardship; accountability; commercialization; public education; intellectual property; pubic reporting; records & preservation; training & resources.
SAA’s principles of archaeological ethics
Society of Professional Archaeologists (SOPA) 1976
first to define professionalism in archaeology; baseline to evaluate archaeological research & recommendations; ability to challenge other archaeologists
Register of Professional Archaeologists (RPA) 1998
membership by qualification; directory of certified archaeologists; voluntary but require by many; goal - establish universal standards of professional archaeological standards; code of conduct; created by SOPA
Speculative Period (1492-1840)
Pe: origins of Native Americans; moundbuilders
Classificatory-Descriptive Period (1840-1914)
Pe: qualitative data; description of materials, architecture, monuments; basic classification; no dating techniques.
Classificatory-Historical Period (1914-1960)
Pe: concern with chronology; stratigraphic excavations; seriation; classifying temporally & spatially, not just descriptively; stratigraphic revolution; radiocarbon dating
Modern Period (1960-Present)
Pe: quantitative data; scientific explanation
C. B. Moore
self-trained; first to excavate Indian Knoll - shell midden in W Kentucky along the Green River.
Nels Nelson
stratigraphic method (1913); SW U.S.
“Ted” Kidder
founder of anthropological archaeology; SW potsherds; cultural chronology
James A. Ford
seriation techniques in SW U.S.; chronology of cultures along Mississippi
Hannah Wormington
wrote “Ancient Man” for the general public; 1st female president of SAA; paleoindian archaeology
Squier & Davis
mapped mounds in E U.S.; supported the moundbuilders myth
Thomas Jefferson
1st controlled excavations in VA
Cyrus Thomas
declared mound builders theory false; Bureau of American Ethnology
data
observations made on objects that serve as the basis for study & discussion
archaeological site
a spatial cluster of artifacts, ecofacts, and features
artifact
any object made, modified, or used by humans in the course of their activities
ecofact
animal & plant based
feature
cluster of artifacts & ecofacts; can’t be removed without damaging original context
theory
an explanation for observed empirical phenomena
low-level theory
T: observations resulting from hands-on archaeological field & lab work
mid-level theory
T: link archaeological observations with human behaviors/natural processes that created them
experimental archaeology
study of how/which ancient behaviors created the archaeological record
ethnoarchaeology
studying modern people to determine how human behavior fits in the archaeological record
taphonomy
study of how the processes or preservation affect information; what happens to artifacts once discarded
high-level theory
T: answer “why” questions
Paradigm
a researcher’s culture; learned/shared; influences how you view the world and humanity
Processual
Pa: explains social, economic, and cultural change as a result of adaptation to material conditions; scientific explanation; “New Archaeology”; backlash against pure description; emphasizes universal law of human nature;
Post Processual
Pa: explains change as arising from interaction between individuals in the same society; each culture is unique; rejects objectivity & explicitly scientific methods
Processual Plus
Pa: addresses post-processual questions with processual methods; scientific inquiry; symbolism, ideology, agency, gender.
Myth of the Moundbuilders
wanted America to have a heroic past - Native Americans were too savage & primitive; Ohio; disproved by Cyrus Thomas
