Explorations Chapter 12 Evolution of genus Homo

Question 1

African multi regionalism

Answer 1

The idea that modern Homo sapiens evolved as a complex web of small regional populations with sporadic gene flow among them.

Question 2

Agriculture

Answer 2

the mass production of resources through farming and domestication

Question 3

Aquaculture

Answer 3

The farming of fish using techniques such as trapping, channels, and artificial ponds

Question 4

Assimilation hypothesis

Answer 4

Current theory of modern human origins stating that the species evolved first in Africa and interbred with archaic humans of Europe and Asia

Question 5

Atlatl

Answer 5

A handheld spear thrower that increased the force of thrown projectiles

Question 6

Band

Answer 6

A small group of people living together as foragers

Question 7

Beringia

Answer 7

Ancient landmass that connected Siberia and Alaska. The ancestors of Indigenous Americans would have crossed this area to reach the Americas

Question 8

Carrying capacity

Answer 8

the amount of organisms that an environment can reliably support

Question 9

Coastal Route model

Answer 9

Theory that the first Paleoindians crossed to the Americas by following the southern coast of Beringia

Question 10

Early Modern Homo sapiens, Early Anatomically Modern Human

Answer 10

Terms used to refer to transitional fossils between archaic and modern Homo sapiens that have a mosaic of traits. Humans like ourselves, who mostly lack archaic traits, are referred to as Late Modern Homo sapiens and simply Anatomically Modern Humans.

Question 11

Egalitarian

Answer 11

Human organization without strict ranks. Foraging societies tend to be more egalitarian than those based on other subsistence strategies.

Question 12

Foraging

Answer 12

Lifestyle consisting of frequent movement through the landscape and acquiring resources with minimal storage capacity.

Question 13

Generalist-specialist niche

Answer 13

The ability to survive in a variety of environments by developing local expertise. Evolution toward this niche may have been what allowed modern Homo sapiensto expand past the geographical range of other human species.

Question 14

Globalization

Answer 14

A recent increase in the interconnectedness and interdependence of people that is facilitated with long-distance networks

Question 15

Globular

Answer 15

Having a rounded appearance. Increased globularity of the braincase is a trait of modern Homo sapiens.

Question 16

Gracile

Answer 16

Having a smooth and slender quality; the opposite of robust

Question 17

Holocene

Answer 17

The epoch of the Cenozoic Era starting around 12,000 years ago and lasting arguably through the present.

Question 18

Ice-Free Corridor Model

Answer 18

Theory that the first Native Americans crossed to the Americas through the passage between glaciers

Question 19

Institutions

Answer 19

Long-lasting and influential cultural constructs. Examples include government, organized religion, academia, and the economy

Question 20

Last Glacial Maximum

Answer 20

The time 23,000 years ago when the most recent ice age was the most intense

Question 21

Later Stone Age

Answer 21

Time period following the Middle Stone Age with a diversification in tool types, starting around 50,000 years ago.

Question 22

Levant

Answer 22

The eastern coast of the Mediterranean.The site of early modern human expansion from Africa and later one of the centers of agriculture.

Question 23

Megafauna

Answer 23

Large ancient animals that may have been hunted to extinction by people around the world

Question 24

Mental eminence

Answer 24

the chin on the mandible of modern H. sapiens. One of the defining traits of our species

Question 25

Microlith

Answer 25

Small stone tool found in the Later Stone Age; also called a bladelet

Question 26

Middle Stone Age

Answer 26

Time period known for Mousterian lithics that connects African archaic to modern Homo sapiens.

Question 27

Monumental architecture

Answer 27

Large and labor-intensive constructions that signify the power of the elite in a sedentary society. A common type is the pyramid, a raised crafted structure topped with a point or platform.

Question 28

Mosaic

Answer 28

Composed from a mix or composite of traits.

Question 29

Neolithic Revolution

Answer 29

Time of rapid change to human cultures due to the invention of agriculture, starting around 12,000 years ago

Question 30

Ochre

Answer 30

Iron-based mineral pigment that can be a variety of yellows, reds, and browns. Used by modern human cultures worldwide since at least 80,000 years ago

Question 31

Sahul

Answer 31

Ancient landmass connecting New Guinea and Australia

Question 32

Sedentarism

Answer 32

Lifestyle based on having a stable home area; the opposite of nomadism

Question 33

Southern Dispersal model

Answer 33

Theory that modern H.sapiens expanded from East Africa by crossing the Red Sea and following the coast east across Asia.

Question 34

Subsistence strategy

Answer 34

The method an organism uses to find nourishment and other resources

Question 35

Sunda

Answer 35

Ancient Asian landmass that incorporated modern Southeast Asia

Question 36

Supraorbital torus

Answer 36

The bony brow ridge across the top of the eye orbits on many hominin crania

Question 37

Upper Paleolithic

Answer 37

Time period considered synonymous with the Later Stone Age

Question 38

Urbanization

Answer 38

The increase of population density as people settled together in cities

Question 39

Wallacea

Answer 39

Archipelago southeast of Sunda with different biodiversity than Asia

Question 40

Younger Dryas

Answer 40

The rapid change in global climate—notably a cooling of the Northern Hemisphere—13,000 years ago