Exam Guide

Question 1

Rapa Nui (Easter Island)

Answer 1

• in the Pacific
• never had large cities or even large populations
• no material wealth
• inhabitants were isolated until Europeans came
• chiefdoms

Question 2

Moai

Answer 2

monumental stone heads on Easter Island

Question 3

Taphonomy

Answer 3

the study of the processes that affect organic remains after death

Question 4

Flotation

Answer 4

• the process used to recover botanical material (wood and seeds) that involves mixing sediments vigorously in water
• charred remains of seeds and wood float to the surface, while the mineral sediments settle to the bottom
• the charred botanical material can then be skimmed off and dried for analysis

Question 5

Macrobotanicals

Answer 5

• botanical remains that can be seen without magnification
• not all perserved

Question 6

Phytoliths

Answer 6

• are silica structures that build up along plant cell walls
• shaped by the morphology of the plant which can identify types of plants
• used to reconstruct the ecological setting of a site
• found on artifacts which can tell how a tool was used

Question 7

Dendrochronology

Answer 7

• aka tree-ring dating
• can tell age of tree and climatic trends
• every year trees add on a single ring of new wood under the bark

Question 8

Bronze Alloys

Answer 8

• a copper alloy produced by mixing copper and tin or arsenic
• creates sound and colour
• made for high-status or ritual objects

Question 9

Gordon Childe

Answer 9

• densely-populated urban centres
• full-time occupational specialization
• class stratification: ruling class, bureaucrats, working class
• concentration of agricultural surpluses
• some form of taxation or tribute paid to a deity or a king

Question 10

Karl Wittfogel

Answer 10

• explained the emergence of states as a response to the need to organize large groups of workers for public-works projects
• single factor caused of a phenomenon
• large-scale agriculture led to centralized governments