World Archaeology Flashcards
Midterm 1
Archaeologist
Antiquarian
interest in ancient objects as items, not about what they can tell about past peoples/cultures
Anthropology
the study of human beings
Cultural Anthropology
study of living societies
Linguistics
world languages
Biological Anthropology
humans evolution and physiology
Archaeology
the study of the modern day archaeological record to make inferences about past human behavior
Archaeological record
objects and features modified by people in the past, but which have survived until the present
Systematic context
the manufacture, use, and discard of material remains (physical items) by living people
Archaeological context
the broken, decayed remnants and by-products of the material remains that survives until the present
Artifact
a portable object made, used, or modified by human activity
Feature
a non-portable item; a thing built or modified by people
Ecofact
environmental remains (pollen, bones, plant seeds)
General Theory
attempts to explain specific event or condition, specific pattern or class of events, and long-term processes
Middle Range Theory
a body of theories used to link the physical record of archaeology to the processes that created those records
Ethnoarchaeology
study of living people to understand relationship between human behavior and material culture
Taphonomy
study of cultural and natural processes that lead to the formation and alteration of the archaeological record
Medieval Perspective Phase (Before 1492)
no need for archaeology because everything about the past was in the bible
Speculative Period Phase (1492-1860)
recognition of changing earth–no systematic research or training, “armchair” researchers and mythical/ religious explanations used to explain Indigenous presences
Proto-archaeology Phase
asks archaeological questions–develop of systems for artifact description and classification, formal training at colleges
professional archaeology
intensification of study of past cultures–becomes systematic and professional
James Hutton
English naturalist who proposed uniformitarianism
George Cuvier
French anatomist who realized extinct animals, introduced catastrophism
Uniformitarianism
gradual natural processes created the Earth we know (wind/water erosion, glacier movement, deposition, volcanism)
Charles Lyell
English geologist, estimated much older date for the age of earth
Charles Darwin
English naturalist, developed theory of evolution
Three age system
stone, bronze, iron–can be used to tell how old something is
Christian Thomsen
Dutch archaeologist created three-age system
Stratigraphy
sequence of stacked geologic layers
Law of Superposition
the oldest unit is on the bottom and the youngest at the top (in undisturbed strata)
Artifact seriation
organizing objects into a time-series based changes in morphology
cultural evolution
stages of human evolution, improvements of mind, morals, technology and society–savagery, barbarianism, civilization
context
physical location and circumstances of place of discovery of archaeological artifacts, deposits, features or sites
matrix
sediment/soil as well as artifacts, features, and other remains at an archaeological site
provenience
the recorded 3D position of archaeological remains
association
spatial proximity of artifacts or features resulting from contemporaneous deposition
primate
order that includes humans, apes, monkeys, tarsiers, lemurs, and lorises
primitive traits
traits inherited from distant ancestors (grasping hands/feet, erect posture, generalized diet and teeth)
derived traits
traits developed more recently, different from ancestors (like smaller canines)
hominid
humans and other non-human apes
hominin
members of the human lineage (bipedal apes)
bipedalism
walking on two limbs
quadruped
walking on 4 limbs
foramen magnum
hole at the base of the skull where the spine connects
vertebral column curve
s-shaped spine which allows for upright posture and bipedal locomotion
femur
large leg bone, head of femur in bipeds is <90 degrees
pelvis
ape pelvis is narrow cylinder, human is broad bowl (see lecture 6 slide)
foot
human big toe is larger, not opposable, not prehensile
Sahelanthropus tchadensis
oldest type of basal hominin, near split from chimps
basal hominins
7-4 mya, all are probably ape-hominin transitional species
robust hominins
type of hominin not related to us, large sagittal crest, likely used tools
gracile hominins
some species related to us, not all, smaller jaw/teeth, tool use, omnivorous diet (see lecture 7)
Laetoli footprints
sagittal crest
large crest at top of skull where large jaw muscles connected to
Genus Homo
Phyletic relationship
classifying species by similarities and time
descendent
ancestor
clade
closely related group
Hard hammer percussion
bipolar anvils
Lomekwi tools
primarily flakes and hammerstone, little prep/planning in design, tools made by smashing rocks together
Oldowan tools
made of locally available stone, easy to make, used for a short time and not carried far
Acheulean industry
chopper
like modern cleaver, not for sharp cutting but strong chopping
flakes
sharp tool used for cutting (like scalpel)
hammerstone
like modern hammer, hit things hard
percussion marks
impact marks to extract boen marrow
cut marks
marks made for slicing meat or disarticulating bones
hunting
first access, kill living animal
active scavenging
middle access, utilizing carcasses killed by other predators or died of natural causes (bipedalism lets hominins search while predators are resting), tools allow quick access to meat parts
passive scavenging
taking leftovers from large predators
WY 1500 skeleton
most complete H. ergaster skeleton, was a 9-11 years old boy and 5 foot 4, assumed adult size was 6 foot one (very large)
Homo ergaster/erectus
first hominin to leave Africa, many modern skeleton traits
Movius line
boundary signaling different technologies used by different groups of same species
3 ways items leave the material record?
What are the benefits of focusing on material remains to study human behavior?
What can material remains tell us about human behavior that text cannot?
How does a western interest in archaeology differ from non-western interest in ancient artifacts and sites?
non-western societies had no formal study of the past, they had strong spiritual and religious connections with ruins and artifacts
How did archaeology develop as a field of study?
gradual steps: big questions answered about age of earth/evolution, then basic methods of stratification and dating (basically building off other sciences)
How did biblical accounts influence the way early researchers study the past?
no need to research because the bible explains it all!
What types of theoretical, methodological, and fieldwork discoveries in Europe during 19th century resulted in basic questioning of religious tenets?
earth and humanity was not young, bible was not a complete history, and species continually change (not placed by God as they were)
What key changes in the way archaeology was done in the later 1800s and early 1900s occurred that made it a more professional (modern) area of study?
there was formal training, systems for description and classification of artifacts, and application of geology ideas
What are some of the key problems with the applications of ideas of cultural evolution?
applies judgement of intelligence/morals, justifies racial biases, included biased applications of ‘scientific’ investigations
Why is context important to an archaeologist?
where objects are found and how they are positions provides lots of info
What are the six key traits that define primates?
grasping hands/feet, shift of claws to nails, increased reliance on eyesight (less on smell), emphasized use of hind limbs, tendency for erect posture, generalized diet and teeth
What are two primary characteristics of hominins?
habitual bipedal locomotion, smaller teeth
What are secondary characteristics of hominins?
bigger brain, tool use, social complexity, agriculture, use of symbols
What are the key skeletal changes associated with bipedalism?
foramen magnum moves lower, femur bends less of 90 degrees, s-shaped spine
What major environmental change in Africa is associated with the appearance of hominins?
When did apes first appear?
57-90 mya
When did the first hominins appear?
6 mya?
What are the key traits of basal hominins?
What are the key traits of robust hominins?
bipedal, small brains, sexual dimorphism, powerful jaws, huge teeth, large sagittal crest, specialized diet, tool use
What are the key traits of gracile hominins?
more efficient bipedal locomotion, larger brains (450-870cc), smaller jaw and teeth, omnivorous diet, tool use
What animals other than hominins use tools?
chimps, macaques, capuchin monkeys, otters
When did hominins begin using tools?
3.3 mya
What are the minimum requirement to use tools?
focused attention, simple planning, visual learning, muscle memory, abstract thinking, visualization, creativity, some strength, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills
Which early hominins were likely tool user?
Homo and paranthropus
What are the key characteristics of Oldowan tools?
easy to make, used short time, basic fracture mechanic understanding, made of locally available stone
How did early hominins get meat?
hunting, active scavenging
What key cranial and post-cranial skeletal changes are associated with Homo ergaster/erectus?
large brains >600 cc, language and symbol use, human-like hand and opposable thumb, use of tools (also see lecture 9)
Why is the consumption of meat associated with many of the skeletal changes with the appearance of Homo ergaster/erectus?
teeth and jaw like us, gut changed, brain and bodies larger
What social/behavioral changes occurred with the appearance of Homo ergaster/erectus?
young and sick individuals provided care, families lived in houses, worked around camp fires
How did Acheulean tools differ from Oldowan tools?
had tools for different tasks, had intentional design, carried further, regionally variable
When did hominins first migrate out of Africa, and which hominin was the first to do this?
Homo erectus/ergaster about 2 mya
Why were early hominins able to migrate into SW Asia so quickly when they left Africa?
the climate wasn’t that different, could use the same technology
What factor constrains the migration of early hominins into northern latitudes?
colder conditions and food availability during colder seasons
What technologies are necessary for hominins to move into northern latitudes?
clothing, shelter, fire, hunting
When did hominins first use fire?
1 mya first, definitely at 700,000 yrs
