EXAM #2 Flashcards
(CH5-8)
Societies are typically classified into what four main groups?
- Mobile Hunter-gatherers
- Segmentary societies
- Chiefdoms
- Early States
social organization
How people organize themselves and their relationship in a social group
Achieved Status
earned or acquired based on an individual’s actions, accomplishments, skills, or efforts within the society.
Achieved Status characteristics
- Often dynamic and can change over time based on a person’s experiences, accomplishments, and social mobility within the society.
Ascribed Status
Assigned to individuals at birth or based on characteristics such as family background, ethnicity, gender, or caste, over which they have little or no control.
Ascribed Status Characteristics:
more static and less influenced by individual actions or achievements
Ranked Society
- Social hierarchy where individuals or groups hold different levels of prestige, authority, and access to resources.
Ranked Society (characteristics)
They often have a
central leader or ruling elite – highest status and authority.
Ranked Society (characteristics)
The ranking of individuals/groups is based on criteria such as
- Lineage, wealth, achievements, or religious roles
Egalitarian Society
prioritize social equality and minimize hierarchical distinctions among their members.
Egalitarian Society characteristics
- Have equal access to important resources & opportunities
***- Leadership roles - based on consensus, reciprocity, temporary
Gender roles
different participation of genders in various activities
Gender ideologies
culturally specific meaning assigned to genders and reproduction
Androcentric
perspective that focuses on men
Why is the analysis of burials important to the study of segmentary societies
The analysis of burials in segmentary societies is important because it helps understand their social organization, hierarchy, leadership, community identity, economic and social relations, and changes over time
How can the ethnoarchaeology of modern societies inform us about the past
Studying modern societies through ethnoarchaeology can inform us about the past by providing insights into how ancient cultures may have lived, organized their societies, used tools and materials, practiced rituals, and interacted with their environment.
Matrilineal (matrilocal)
Mother’s line
Patrilineal (patrilocal)
Father’s Line
Kinship
socially recognized network of relationship based on descent and marriage
Bilateral descent
mother and father sides are equally valued
Unilineal descent
one side is valued over the other
Ways archaeologist reconstruct ancient environments
- Geomorphological Analysis
- zooarchaeological Analysis
- palynology
-dendrochronology
Geomorphology
Studying landforms & landform evolution
Clan
a set of two or more linages that claim to share a fictive ancestry (blood)
moiety
a social group or division within a society, often split into two parts, each with its own roles and relationships.
-Simplified: kinship. Related but not by biological means
faunal remains/analysis
studying what remains of animals; anything that was once a part of an animal (skins, bones, teeth, feathers, baleen, soft tissue
Steps to faunal analysis (archaeological context)
1) identify the element that has been recovered
2)Trying to identify what kind of animal, or taxon, it belongs to.
3) Identify sex, age, and class size
Element
refers to anatomical part of the body (e.g. femur, cranium)
Taxon
Biological classification system; refers to a group of organisms classified together based on shared characteristics, such as species, genus, family, order, class, phylum, or kingdom in biological classification systems.
zooarchaeology
study of animal remains from archaeological sites
bioarchaeology
The study of human remains(skeletal/mortuary)
molecular archaeology
a field of study that uses molecular techniques, such as DNA analysis, stable isotope analysis, protein analysis, and lipid analysis, to study ancient materials and artifacts.
palynology
Study of pollen grains
phytoliths
plant stones, microscopic plant opals
- tells more about the local environment than polin does
paleopathology
the study of ancient diseases and disorders by examining skeletal remains and other archaeological evidence.
Different ways diet is studied
-bones/plant remains
-isotope
-human skeleton
=baby teeth ‘deciduous”; tooth eruption, losing of baby teeth
-getting enough nutrition
-copper-lights: looking thru a mummified guts
Lithic analysis
the study of stone tools
stages of reduction (lithic analysis)
- Primary reduction
- Secondary reduction
- Tertiary reduction
Primary reduction
early stage of reduction
- large flakes
-removal of outer surface of a rock
Secondary Reduction
- shaping the artifact
=>striking the core w a hammerstone in a more careful, controlled manner - Def: smaller flakes w less or no cortex are removed
Tertiary reduction
Finishing form
Involves pressure flaking: controlled removal of smaller flakes by using applied pressure on the edge of lithic object…
lithics
any and all stone tools
archaeometallurgy
- the study of ancient metalworking technologies and processes used by past societies.
- It involves analyzing metal artifacts, metallurgical residues, smelting furnaces, and other archaeological evidence to understand how metals were mined, extracted, alloyed, and shaped in different cultural contexts throughout history.
pyrotechnology
refers to the use and manipulation of fire by humans for various purposes, such as cooking, heating, making tools, crafting ceramics, and producing metals.
Two-spirit
term used by some Indigenous cultures in North America for people who have both masculine and feminine qualities, representing a range of gender identities beyond male and female.
Epigraphy
The study of ancient writings + inscriptions carved on materials like stone or metal, helping us learn about past cultures, languages, and history.
Cosmology
The study of the origin, large-scale structure and future of the universe.
Religion
a set of beliefs about one’s relationship w the supernatural/spiritual being
Biological sex, age - how its identified
Identifying bio sex:
- Mandible
- Skull
- Pelvis
Identifying age of death:
- Teeth
- Skull
- Femur
Mitochondrial DNA (MtDNA)
Contained in the mitochondria and is passed on ONLY by females.
- preserves a family record that is altered over the generations only by mutations.
Debitage
refers to the waste material produced during the process of stone tool manufacturing
Hunted vs scavenged
Hunted:
- Getting the best/most meat
-Cut marks
- weapon(arrow) lodge b/w bones
Scavenged
- Getting the less meat
- Cut marks
Y-chromosome DNA
genetic material found on the Y chromosome, passed from fathers to sons, used to study male ancestry and genetic variations in populations.
Nuclear DNA
- the genetic material in the center of cells that carries instructions for traits and functions.
- comes from both parents and is used in genetics, forensics, and biology to study genes and relationships.
What can animal bones tell us outside of diet
- about whether animals were domesticated
- cause of death
-ppl obtaining their food; hunting, fishing, and trade, as well as technological advancements and the use of animals in cultural practices. - provide insights into environmental
Ossify
- to turn to bone
Isotopes and bones
- Low nitrogen-15/carbon-13 values - diet - land animal
-High nitrogen-15/carbon-13 values - diet - marine animals
Faunal Analysis NISP/MNI (how to calculate)
1) Count the no. of identified specimens that were recovered from a site
- 3 leg bones were found (all the same bone), NISP=3
2) Assess the minimum # of individuals (MNI)
– 3 leg bones that each person has 2 of, MNI = 2 individual
Source of raw material - importance
Mobility: How far they’re traveling;
Moving
Territorial domain
Directionality How much material each group has
- resource running out
Landscape Learning
- discovering what’s available in a new environment
Hypoplasia
refers to underdevelopment or incomplete growth of a tissue or organ in the body.
