Lecture 16 - Intro To Archaeology

Question 1

What is Taphonomy?

Answer 1

The study of what happens to an animal from death to the time it is recovered

Includes both human and non-human processes.

Question 2

Who conducted studies at the Makapansgat cave site?

Answer 2

Raymond Dart

Worked from the 1920s to the 1950s.

Question 3

What time period does the Makapansgat cave site date from?

Answer 3

1-2 million years ago (MYA)

Question 4

What significant findings did Dart and Brain discover regarding Australopithecus remains?

Answer 4

Bones were smashed and interspersed with other animals. The final hypothesis was that the Australopithecine was a victim of a leopard, not the killer.

Included hyaena, baboon, antelope, and Australopithecine.

Question 5

What hypothesis did Dart suggest regarding Australopithecus?

Answer 5

They hunted and ate all animals, even their own kind.

Question 6

What tool did Australopithecus likely use instead of stone tools?

Answer 6

Bones (teeth, horns)

Question 7

Define domestication in the context of subsistence.

Answer 7

A relationship between two species where one manipulates the other but both benefit.

Question 8

What is a key difference between wild and domesticated wheat?

Answer 8

Wild wheat has a brittle rachis; domesticated wheat has a tough rachis and larger seeds.

Question 9

What is the purpose of slash and burn agriculture?

Answer 9

To crop until soil nutrients weaken, allowing the forest to regenerate.

Question 10

What was the significance of the auroch in domestication?

Answer 10

Ancestor of cattle; depicted in cave paintings. Was a very dangerous and intelligent animal before it was bred into cattle.

Question 11

List the primary centers of domestication.

Answer 11

• Central Africa
• Near East
• East Asia

Question 12

Where is the Fertile Crescent located?

Answer 12

Region in the Middle East covering modern Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, with some of the earliest evidence of agriculture.

Question 13

Who were the Natufians?

Answer 13

Complex hunter-gatherers in the Near East who developed farming, 12,500 – 10,000 BP.

Question 14

What are the 4 socio-political organization schemes of human societies?

Answer 14

• Bands
• Tribes
• Chiefdoms
• State societies

Question 15

Define Bands in socio-political organization.

Answer 15

Organized by kinship, small groups (25-50), informal leadership, mobile, hunter-fisher-gatherers.

Question 16

What differentiates Foragers from Collectors?

Answer 16

Foragers move entire residential groups to resources; Collectors have main camp move infrequently and task groups go to resources and return to camp.

Question 17

What are the characteristics of Tribes?

Answer 17

• Up to 1000 people
• Achieved status
• Mixed economies
• Important kinship
• Egalitarian, have a leader but they don’t have full power over the people

Question 18

What defines Early State Level Societies?

Answer 18

• Very large, up to millions of people
• Complex political organization
• Urban areas
• Hierarchical society
• Ruler has absolute power
• Military
• taxation
• official religion, politics is usually intertwined
• codified laws, laws are written down

Question 19

What are key characteristics of chiefdoms?

Answer 19

Politically complex, up to 20,000 people, typically based on food production and agriculture, leaders are ascribed their role and have more power, hierarchical powers.