Midterm 2 Flashcards
What is the importance of the grid system in archaeology?
It serves as a way of mapping the entire site, by divvying up the larger site into smaller areas.
What are the differences between chronometric and relative dating methods?
Relative dating methods reveal the order of a sequence of found objects, materials, or events found within a site. Discovereing which is older/newer.
While Chronometric dates the actual age in the number of years of said items, materials, events, etc, found at the site.`
What evidence is used to determine if fossil species were bipedal?
If the fossils provide long bones
If it has a Foramen Magnum (Hole at bottom of skull, connecting spinal cord to brain)
The Pelivs/Hip Bone will be shorter but wider and a lot thicker
Finding a Femur is a good sign of Bipedalism, as the femur makes it effortless for us to stand up right.
Australopithecines Characteristics and Behaviour
Characteristics: Smaller Brain size, reduction in front teeth, sexually dimorphic.
Behaviour: Meat eating from scavengine, no evidence of hunting
Paranthropus Characteristics and Behaviour
Characteristics: MOre robustly built, Larger brain size, very large molars and premolars, large jaws fro chewing, presence of sagittal crest, pneumatized skull
Behaviour: Adapted to a diet made of coarse vegetation, strong sexual dimorphism, possible gorilla-like behaviour
The Habilines Characteristics and Behaviour
Characteristics: Larger Brains, Rounder Skull, Smaller Teeth, Less Facial prognathism, Postcranial like Australopithecines
The Australipithecus Garhi characteristics and behaviour
Oldest fossil that we know of that used stone tools
Behaviour: Tool use, butchery of meat
Characteristics and Behaviour of Homo Erectus
Characteristics: Larger body, larger brain, robust build, less sexual dimorphism, higher skull, less prognatic, smaller jaws and teeth, larger supraorbital torus, occipital torus
Behaviour: First to potentially migrate out of Africa, New Tools (Acheulean tools), Hunters or Scavengers, use of fire, made shelters
Homo Floresiensis Characteristics and Behaviour
Characteristics: 1m Tall, Small brain, Island Effect
Behaviour: Used fire, Stone tools
What is island effect?
Hominins who migrated onto islands evolved to be smaller
Archaics characteristics and behaviours?
Characteristics: Large brain size, modern human stature, more robust build, massive supraorbital torus, occipital torus
Behaviour: Hunted Large Game, Stone tools
Neanderthal characteristics and behaviour:
Characteristics: Very robust build, very large incisors, short limbs
Behaviour: Adapted to life in cold climates, buried their dead, evidence of portable art, evidence of care for the elderly
Homo Sapiens characteristics and behaviour
Characteristics: Roundest skull, small teeth, presence of a chin, slender build, oldest remains in Africa (?)
Behaviour: Contemporary with Neanderthals (coexisted), No evidence of cultural differences during that time
What is the Foramen Magnum?
Hold at bottom of skull where spinal chord is attached to brain
What and Who are the Protohominins?
Early Hominins
Sarchelanthropus Tchadensis
Orrorin Tugensis
Ardipithecus Ramidus
What are the general characteristics of Protohominins?
Small Brain, Mostly apelike characteristics, Possibly Bipedal, Lived in forested environments
What are flakes?
Sharp pieces of a stone used for cutting
Oldest Stone Tools
Dikika
Lomoekwi
Nyayanga
What are the theories on what happened to Neanderthals?
Out Of Africa Hypothesis
- Modern humans migrate out of Africa and replace all archaic hominids
Partial Replacement Model
- Modern humans interbreed with other archaic hominids, but some are replaced
Multi-Regional Hypothesis
-All archaic hominids evolve into modern humans through gene flow
Advantages of Domestication
Production of a Surplus
Reliable food supply
Become more sedentary
Supports larger populations
Allows more task specialization
Disadvantages of Domestication
More susceptible to famine (through natural disasters)
Spread of contagious diseases
Less varied diet (in the beginning)
Demand more work
Conflicts over land and crops
Beginning if social inequalities
Models for the origins of domestication
Population Growth Models
Climate change
Trading Networks
Increased knowledge of plants and animals
Expansion into new environments
Population growth models
As population grow, production of food becomes necessary
Climate Change effect on domestication
Climate change forces populations to look for new food sources and food production
Trading Networks effect on domestication
Some food items are cultivated for trade, but later become staple food sources
What is culture?
Culture is learned
Culture is symbolic
Culture is shared
Culture is always changing
Culture is adaptive
What is the Archeological Process
Purpose for Archaeological work -> Archival Research -> Survey -> Map -> Excavate -> Analyze -> Preserve
Types of Archeological Surveys
Aerial Photos
LiDAR
GPR
Fieldwalking
Test Pits
GIS
Excavating process
Dig
Screen for artifacts
Record statigraphy
Retrieve and document artifacts
Goals of Archaeology
Recover, describe and prserve sites or artifacts
Reconstruct Past Lifeways
Understand the processes of cultural evolution
Why things change overtime
What are Sites?
Tools/items
What are Localities
Remains
(Larger area containing multiple sites)
Explain Surface Survey (pedestrian survey) , it’s uses and limitations.
Def: Search surface for odd/anomolies to merit digging
(Pedestrian) form a line with people and walk and look slowly , and flag anything.
Limitations: Can’t cover very large areas
Explain Aerial photographs & satellite images
Can be used for mapping purposes or to photograph large areas with attributes that may suggest the presence of otherwise invisible sites. (such ass buried walls, crop marks, shallow soil)
What do Crop marks mean when surveying?
Shallow soil, Could mean something’s buried closer beneath the surface
Explain LiDAR
(Light detection and ranging)
- Helps see under the canape (Mass forestation)
- Sometimes can see whats hiding under the soil
Explain Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR)
A Non-Intrusive method, it’s a radar that bounces waves back so that archaeologists can see whats hiding underground without digging
Explain Ethnohistorical data
Ancient maps, folklore, and documents looked at to find/pinpoint locations.
Explain natural erosion
Luck, that nature helps uncover fossils, tools, etc.
Via through the weather, natural disaster, etc
What is a datum point?
an arbitrarily established point on the site from which all. measurements are taken
What are artifacts
Objects that have been intentionally made with thought by humans or hominin ancestors