Yellow Terms

Question 1

What is archaeology?

Answer 1

The scientific study of human past through durable material remains
- artifacts, architecture, ecofacts, cultural landscapes

Question 2

What does archeology do?

Answer 2

Archaeology is destruction

Question 3

What does prehistoric mean?

Answer 3

To be before written historyE

Question 4

Who was JJ Winckelmann and what did he do?

Answer 4

He was a German antiquarian who first categorized & systemized the differences in artifacts from different cultures & time periods

He also divided Greek art into 4 stages: Archaic, Early Classical, Late Classical, Hellenistic

Question 5

What were objets d’art?

Answer 5

To look at the object for art and art only

Question 6

Who was Heinrich Schliemann?

Answer 6

A German businessman, polymath, & amateur archaeologist who believed in the historicity of ancient epics, especially Homer’s

Question 7

What was a development from the 1950s-1970s?

Answer 7

removing modern bias from analysis & interpretation of the past

Question 8

What is archaeological culture?

Answer 8

a reoccurring assemblage (grouping) of items that share style, decoration, etc.

Question 9

What is the Three-Age System?

Answer 9

Stone, Bronze, Iron (Early, Middle, Late)

Question 10

What happened during the Bronze age economically?

Answer 10

bronze increased the wealth gap = social stratification

Question 11

What did the palaces demonstrate?

Answer 11

a very visible elite class

Question 12

What were pithos (pithoi)?

Answer 12

they were large, ceramic storage vessels; takes weeks/months for potters to make, multiple people to move

Question 13

What is thalassocracy?

Answer 13

Rule of the seas; King Minos possibly had this?

Question 14

What was Minoan Polytheism?

Answer 14

A belief in multiple gods such as a snake goddess, mistress of animals, female deities, a male deity

Was it matrilineal? Nature based?

Question 15

What is a type site?

Answer 15

a site where objects or materials regarded as defining the characteristics of a particular period were found.

Question 16

What was cyclopean masonry?

Answer 16

Cyclopean masonry was a type of stonework built with massive limestone boulders, roughly fitted together with minimal clearance between adjacent stones and with clay mortar or no use of mortar.

Question 17

Conspicuous Consumption – Tholos Tombs

Answer 17

made a show of expensive something is, investment in construction & grave goods

Question 18

What is a megaron?

Answer 18

central core of 2-3 rooms that palaces were built around
- square room w hearth & 4 supporting columns
- throne
- rectilinear

Question 19

What was revealed about Mycenean social order from Linear B?

Answer 19

that there was an elaborate social structure based around land holding & agriculture

Question 20

What was the Lefkandi Heroon?

Answer 20

Biggest building of the time that has an unknown purpose with 2 burial pits in the floor one with two humans and another with four horses. The man is cremated and the woman is buried.

Lots of grave goods left with both people.

Was this a hero cult? Regardless this was significant social stratification? Obviously these people were important.

Question 21

What does ‘Horro vacui’ mean?

Answer 21

Fear of empty spaces in reference to proto/geometric pottery that used every inch of surface area.

Question 22

What was the polis as an idea?

Answer 22

A fundamental, conditional concept for ancient Greek history and archaeology

Question 23

Where are altars? Why?

Answer 23

They are always outside because you are making offerings to the gods that will be burnt so they need to rise up through the air to the heavens where they are located

Question 24

What is a metropolis?

Answer 24

The mother city to new poleis