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ANTH 2463: Science of Our Past > Test 3 > Flashcards

Test 3 Flashcards

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Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

Low Level Theory

A

survey and excavation, observations

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2
Q

middle range research

A

aims to provide archaeology with the tools needed to infer behavior from the contemporary archaeological record (squared 2)

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3
Q

Principle of Uniformitarianism

A

The present is the key to the past
The contemporary world provides information needed to infer past human behavior and natural processes from the archaeological record

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4
Q

analogy

A

noting similarities between two entities and inferring from that similarity that an additional attribute of one is also true of the other

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5
Q

formal analogies

A

similarities in the formal attributes of archaeological and ethnographic entities, strengthened by patterns

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6
Q

relational analogies

A

analogies based on close cultural continuity between the archaeological and ethnographic cases, similarity in general cultural form

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7
Q

formation processes

A

the study of how cultural and natural processes contribute to the formation of archaeological sites (also referred to as Taphonomy)

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8
Q

experimental archaeology

A

used to understand the things people did in the past that they no longer do today, controlled experiments

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9
Q

ethnoarchaeology

A

study of living societies, observing material remains while they still exist in their systemic behavioral contexts, links human behavior with archaeologically observable material remains

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10
Q

paleothenobotany

A

recovers and identifies plant remains from ancient contexts, focusing on plant people interactions

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11
Q

what about plants make them useful to archaeologists?

A

very sensitive to changes in climate, respond to climatic shifts by changing their distributions, reliant on animals or wind and water for reproduction

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12
Q

macrobotanical remains

A

nonmicroscopic plant remains recovered from an archaeological site (diet, economy, human behavior) (recovered through floatation)

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13
Q

microbotanical remains

A

required a microscope

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14
Q

palynology

A

the study of ancient (fossil) plant pollens and spores

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15
Q

pollen grains

A

the tiny male reproductive bodies of flowering plants (angiosperms). carried to the pistil (female reproductive part) of another plant by wind, water, or animals

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16
Q

identification by morphology

A

size and shape, number and position of furrows and apertures, structure of exine

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17
Q

pollen diagram

A

a chart showing the changing frequencies of different identified pollens through time from samples taken from archaeological or other sites

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18
Q

residues

A

chemical traces

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19
Q

zooarchaeology

A

the tabulation of the animal taxa present in an archaeological site

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20
Q

zooarchaeologist

A

an archaeologist who specializes in the study of the animal remains from archaeological sites

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21
Q

Faunal Assemblage

A

the animal bones recovered from an archaeological site. NOT paleontological assemblage because humans may have a hand in their formation

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22
Q

kill sites

A

places where animals were actually killed

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23
Q

processing sites

A

places where animals were butchered

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24
Q

camp sites

A

where people butchered and consumed animals (may or may not have been killed there)

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25
Q

faunal analysis

A

identification and interpretation of animal remains from archaeological sites

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26
Q

element

A

a specific skeltal part of the body

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27
Q

taxon

A

the classification of a skeletal element to a taxonomic category (species, genus, family, order)

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28
Q

taxonomic classification

A

uses scientific names for animals and follows the basic linnean system of phylogenetic nomenclature

29
Q

comparative collection

A

a skeletal collection of modern fauna of both sexes and different ages used to make identification of faunal assemblages

30
Q

number of identified specimens (NISP)

A

the raw number of identified bones (specimens) per species. gives inflated counts

31
Q

minimum number of individuals (MNI)

A

the smallest number of individuals necessary to account for all identified bones. gives depressed counts but more accurate

32
Q

tabulating MNI

A

determine the most numerous element for each identified species

33
Q

age determination

A

the timing of the fusion of the epiphysis and shaft occurs at different ages for each element and differentially across species

34
Q

sex determination

A

sexual dimorphism or size variation between the sexes facilitates identification

35
Q

domestication

A

mutualistic relationship which included some aspect of human intentionality

36
Q
A
37
Q

Bio archaeology

A

The study of the human biological component of the archaeological record by exploring bone, bone chemistry, and DNA preserved by human tissues

38
Q

Osteology

A

The study of the human skeleton, usually concerned with establishing burial populations

39
Q

Bone

A

A changing living organism, responds to nutritional and mechanical stress and remodels accordingly

40
Q

Burial population

A

A set of human burials that come from a limited region and a limited time period, the more limited, the more accurate the inferences drawn from analysis will be

41
Q

Three factors of variation

A

Ontogeny, biological sex, idiosyncratic differences

42
Q

Ontogeny

A

Age. The growth and development of an organism

43
Q

What are the seven classes of ontogeny based on

A

Fusion rate of bone, tooth eruption, and wear

44
Q

Epiphyses

A

The ends of bones that fuse to the main shaft or portion of bone at various ages, most bones are fused by age 25

45
Q

Pubic symphysis

A

The place where the right and left as coxae meet in a person’s groin area

46
Q

Sex

A

Grounded in perceived biological differences

47
Q

Gender

A

The cultural constructions observed, performed, and understood in any given society, often based on those perceived biological differences

48
Q

Sexuality

A

Has to do with sexual preferences

49
Q

Idiosyncratic differences

A

Life histories of individuals (trauma, disease and disorders, and biomechanics)

50
Q

Antemortem

A

Before death (healing evident)

51
Q

Postmortem

A

After death (no healing, brittle breakage, staining)

52
Q

Perimortem

A

At or about the time of death

53
Q

Paleopathology

A

The study of ancient patterns of diseases, disorders, and trauma. The PROBLEM: most diseases do not leave visible traces in bone, so cause of death can be difficult to determine

54
Q

Some diseases that leave skeletal traces

A

Rheumatoid arthritis, syphilis, leprosy, yaws, tuberculosis

55
Q

How can we infer disease as the cause of death?

A

Mass burials from epidemics, historic records or texts, oral histories

56
Q

Dental carries

A

(Cavities) A consequence of adopting agriculture and eating agricultural products

57
Q

Biomechanics

A

The study of bone morphology to reconstruct motor habits and labor practices. Bones respond to stress by changing shape and by increasing the surface area of muscle attachments (repeated behavior that grows muscle)

58
Q

Paleodemography

A

The study of ancient demographic patterns and trends (life expectancy at birth, age profile of the population, patterns in ages of death, overall quality of life issues)

59
Q

Mortality profiles

A

Charts that depict the various ages at death of a burial population; based on the age and sex data of burials

60
Q

Bone chemistry

A

Focuses on the chemical composition of bone collagen and hydroxyapatite (carbonates)

61
Q

What are stable isotopes? Unstable isotopes?

A

Stable=12C,13C (do not decay)
Unstable=14C (decay)

62
Q

Plant metabolism

A

Plants take carbon in through one of the three photosynthetic pathways C4, C3, and CAM

63
Q

C4 Plants

A

The isotopic signature of C4 plants take in more 13C and 14C than C3 and CAM plants (maize, sugarcane)

64
Q

C3 Plants

A

C3 plants have less 13C than C4 and CAM plants (rice, wheat, potatoes, spinach, and yams)

65
Q

CAM plants

A

CAM plants use both pathways of C4 and C3 plants (cacti, pineapple)

66
Q

Mortuary analysis

A

The study of graves and their contents to learn about past societies and individuals. Contents, architecture, and arrangements of graves and tombs, and grave goods

67
Q

Primary burials

A

Burial of the complete corpse

68
Q

Secondary burials

A

Rebuttal or burial of partial or skeletal remains often missing some parts (evidence of ritual specialists)

69
Q

Mass graves

A

Mass inhumations

ANTH 2463: Science of Our Past (5 decks)

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