Chapter 7 ANTH Archaeology

Relative dating

Determines which objects or sites are older or younger based on relationships; does not provide specific calendar years.

Absolute dating

Provides a specific date or a range of dates in years for artifacts or sites.

Chronological sequencing

Ordering objects or sites in time relative to each other; includes the law of superposition and seriation.

Law of superposition

In undisturbed layers of soil or rock, the deeper layers are older than those above.

Seriation

Ordering artifacts based on changes in style or frequency over time.

Dating by association (cross dating)

Determining the age of an artifact or layer by its association with another object of known age.

Calibrated relative dating

Combines relative and absolute dating methods; example: obsidian hydration.

Terminus post quem (TPQ)

“Date after which”; the earliest possible date a layer or artifact could have been deposited.

Terminus ante quem (TAQ)

“Date before which”; the latest possible date a layer or artifact could have been deposited.

Dendrochronology

Tree-ring dating; an absolute dating method providing precise calendar years.

Radiocarbon dating (C-14)

Absolute dating method measuring carbon-14 in organic material; effective up to ~50,000 years.

Argon dating

Absolute dating of volcanic sediments; works best for very old sites (~200,000+ years).

Miocene epoch

Geological epoch when the last common ancestor of humans, chimps, and gorillas likely existed.

Pliocene epoch

Geological epoch when the first hominins appeared in the fossil record.

Paleoindian (North America)

Earliest period of human occupation in North America.

Archaic (North America)

Period after Paleoindian; more diverse subsistence strategies before widespread domestication.

Paleolithic

Old Stone Age; early human stone tool cultures.

Mesolithic

Middle Stone Age; transitional period with microlith tools.

Neolithic

New Stone Age; marked by agriculture, domestication, and pottery.

Homo erectus

First hominin to leave Africa, use fire, and develop sophisticated tools (~900 cc brain).

Australopithecus

Early hominin genus (~4 mya), small-bodied, first associated with stone tools (~2.5 mya).

Homo sapiens

Anatomically modern humans, appearing around 150,000 years ago.

Sedentism

Increasingly permanent human habitation, often associated with domestication.

Domestication

Humans managing and selectively breeding plants or animals for food or resources.

Fiber-tempered pottery

Early pottery made from clay mixed with fibers like Spanish moss to strengthen it.

Cave art (Upper Paleolithic)

Paintings created by early humans; possibly symbolic, shamanistic, or informational.

Shanidar Cave “flower burial”

Possible Neanderthal burial with flowers; evidence of ritual or symbolic behavior.

Civilization traits

Monumental architecture, cities, writing, agriculture, state-level political organization, social stratification.

Colonization of Australia

Humans arrived ~65,000 years ago, indicating use of seaworthy watercraft.

Colonization of the Americas

Timing is debated; represents humans expanding into new continents.