Midterm 2 (5)

Question 1

What is the holocene?

Answer 1

Follows the pleistocene epoch and began roughly 11, 000 years ago.

Question 2

When did the agricultural way of life begin?

Answer 2

In the holocene

Question 3

What is domestication?

Answer 3

Refers to a relationship between humans, plants and animals in which humans play a role in the protection and reproduction of plant and animal species.

Question 4

What is the Neolithic Revolution?

Answer 4

Term to describe the change from hunting and gathering to agriculture. Defined by Gordon Childe.

Question 5

What are different theories for explanations for the origin of food production?

Answer 5

1. Oasis Theory
2. Marginal Zone Hypothesis
3. Theories related to population growth

Question 6

What is the Oasis Theory?

Answer 6

People started settlements near oases because it was the only livable place during a dry spell. This lead to the clustering of humans, animals, plants etc and lead to agriculture.

Question 7

What is the Marginal Zone Hypothesis?

Answer 7

The best areas were filled to capacity. So they moved in to marginal zones and reproduce artificially the wild grasses and cereals.

Question 8

Whittier the theories related to population growth?

Answer 8

Suggest that population pressure was the stimulus to the development of agriculture.

Question 9

What is Archaeobotany?

Answer 9

The analysis and interpretation of the remains of ancient plants recovered from the archaeological record.

Question 10

What are micro botanicals?

Answer 10

Very tiny remains of plant materials of pollen and phytoliths

Question 11

What are pollen?

Answer 11

Gametes of the male reproductive part.

Question 12

What are phytoliths?

Answer 12

Inorganic silica bodies. Can identify the plant from analyzing the phytolith.

Question 13

What are the evidences of domestication?

Answer 13

1. Geography
2. Mean seed size
3. Seed morphology (rachis, seed coat)
4. Animals (osteology, population)

Question 14

How is geography an evidence of domestication?

Answer 14

Plant and animal remains appear abruptly where they are not known to have grown to lived naturally.

Question 15

How is mean seed size an evidence of domestication?

Answer 15

People select plants that produce larger seeds.

Question 16

How is seed morphology an evidence of domestication?

Answer 16

1. Development of a predominance of non-brittle attachments (rachis) of seeds in plants harvested by ancient people.
2. Domesticated seed coats are often thinner than those of wild plants.

Question 17

Why are domesticated seed coats often thinner than those of wild plants?

Answer 17

Thick seed coats delay germination, so the plants are often smaller. We want the bigger plants.

Question 18

What are evidence of domestication with osteological changes of animals?

Answer 18

Lightly constructed bones of otherwise wild animals are found in archaeological contexts. Animals were probably penned by humans throughout their lives.

Question 19

What are evidence of domestication with animal population characteristics?

Answer 19

When an overabundance of the bones of subadult males is found at an archaeological site. This may indicate that people had a control over population than in the wild. (Keeping females longer so have babies, so killing off males early would be ok).

Question 20

What was the first domesticated animal?

Answer 20

Dogs, 12, 000 kya.

Question 21

Why were wolves/dogs tolerated to ancient peoples?

Answer 21

If they were friendly and curious, they would likely survive. They could aid in hunting and warning of predators coming.

Question 22

When did cats become domesticated?

Answer 22

Around 4000 years ago in egypt. The cat diverged about 10, 000 kya from smaller african wild cats.

Question 23

What is the fertile crescent?

Answer 23

A crescent shaped region extending from mediterranean… Textbook.

Question 24

Who are the Natufians?

Answer 24

Collector type hunter gatherers who established permanent settlements in parts of the Near East after 15, 000 to 12, 000 kya. Had pits in their settlements for extra grains etc.

Question 25

What tools do the natufians use?

Answer 25

Lunates. Tiny crescent shaped stone tools.

Question 26

What is the Catalhoyuk?

Answer 26

Oldest and largest complex settlements in the neolithic. Domestication began about 8000 B.C. in the near east. Had about 2000 homes. Individuals (probably family members) were buried under the floors of the mud-brick houses.

Question 27

What is Maglemosian?

Answer 27

A culture of the early mesolithic period in Northern Europe that could be some of the first agriculturalists.

Question 28

What are middens?

Answer 28

Large accumulations of domestic waste. Present at Maglemosian sites.

Question 29

What are some of the earliest domesticated plants and animals?

Answer 29

Dog, cattle, goat, barley, rye, wheat.

Question 30

Where did people go in to Europe to spread agriculture?

Answer 30

Through the Balkan Peninsula 7000 B.C. and then down in to central and northern europe 5000 B.C.

Question 31

What are Linear Bandkeramik farming complex’s?

Answer 31

Permanent settlements with homes, waste pits, fields for farming and areas for animals.

Question 32

In agriculture in the new world, there was very little ______ _____________.

Answer 32

Animal domestication.

Question 33

In south american, what were typical agricultural domestications?

Answer 33

Maize, potatoes, arrowroot, yams, quinoa, cotton, llama, alpaca.

Question 34

In mesoamerican, what were typical agricultural domestications?

Answer 34

Maize, beans, squash, chili peppers, sunflower, dog.

Question 35

What is the earliest crop that was domesticated in the americas?

Answer 35

Squash.

Question 36

What was the grass that was a wild ancestor of maize?

Answer 36

Teosinte.

Question 37

In North American, what were typical agricultural domestications?

Answer 37

Dog, squash, sunflower, smartweed, knotweed, turkey, maize

Question 38

Who were the Adena and Hopewell cultures?

Answer 38

North American cultures of the Ohio River Valley. Constructed elaborate burial mounds and established extensive trade networks.