ANT 1407, Baylor University, Exam 3, Dr. Ferraro

Parietal Art

paintings or engravings found on the walls and ceilings of caves

Mobiliary Art

small, decorated objects that were created during the Paleolithic and Mesolithic eras and can be carried from place to place

Material Compositions

the study of the structure and composition of materials found at archaeological sites

Networks of Past Contacts

used to understand how people interacted in the past

Exchange Systems

the ways that people connect with producers to obtain goods, services, and ideas

Exchange

the study of how ideas and material goods are transferred between human populations

Intersocial Contact

the study of how ideas and material goods are transferred between human populations

Material Sourcing

the process of identifying the origin of artifacts or materials found at archaeological sites

Peer-Polity Interactions

an archaeological theory that explains how societies of similar standing interact to cause social and material changes

Ethnicity

a complex concept that involves the identification of groups based on shared traditions, history, and a common sense of cultural differentiation

Taphonomy

a family of methods and concepts used by paleontologists, archaeologists, and forensics scientists for inferring a sequence of past events or processes that formed a collection of associated objects, such as vertebrate skeletons, mollusk shells, or preserved plant parts.

Internal Exchange

the study of how people moved goods, ideas, and services across regions and societies

External Exchange

the movement of ideas, goods, and people across different cultures and regions

Wallenstein's World Systems Theory Model

an economic unit, articulated by trade networks extending far beyond the boundaries of individual political units and linking them together in a larger functioning unit; note, there are concurrent world systems

Social Unit

a group of people within a past society that can be identified through archaeological evidence, often based on shared characteristics like kinship, social status, occupation, or geographic location

Reciprocity

a fundamental concept in anthropology and social sciences that refers to the exchange of goods, services, or favors with the expectation of mutual benefit

Polanyi's Three Modes of Exchange

reciprocity, redistribution, market

Balanced Reciprocity

when something is given with the expectation of immediate return

Positive Reciprocity

Generosity, gift giver incurs a cost, usually between kin & is explained via kin-selection

Negative Reciprocity

Gift giver accrues a benefit, occurs amongst strangers

Redistribution

a system of economic exchange involving the centralized collection of goods from members of a group followed by the redivision of those goods among those members

Market Exchange

the buying and selling of goods and services in specific locations, called marketplace

Primitive Valuables

used in ceremonialexchanges of non-state societies; e.g., kula, slaves, pigs, masks/robes, etc

Sphere of Exchange

a way to analyze how societies organize the exchange of goods and services, and how they restrict the exchange between different spheres

Sourcing/Characterization

refers to those techniques of examination by which characteristic properties of the constituent material may be identified and so allow the source of that material to be determined

Compositional Analysis

the study of chemical and mineralogical properties of archaeological materials to identify groups of related artifacts or raw materials

Trace-Element Analysis

a scientific technique that involves identifying and measuring very small amounts of chemical elements (trace elements) present in archaeological materials like pottery, metals, or human remains. Techniques are OES, ICPMS, NAA, XRF, PIXE, PIGME, SEM

Isotopic Analysis

elements may vary in their number of neutrons, producing isotopic variants.

Direct Access

the user goes directly to the source of material, without the intervention of any exchange mechanisms

Reciprocity Variants

the nature of which was previously covered, here the differences lie in the spatial/geographic location

Down-The-Line

Repeated exchanges of a reciprocal nature

Central Place Variants

Here, the spatial/geographic variable is held constant, the nature of the exchange varies however

Freelance

aka "middleman" trading refers to the activities of traders who operate independently, and for gain; usually the traders work by bargaining (as in market exchange)but instead of a fixed marketplace they are travelers who take the goods to the customer

Supply Zones

Found close to the source, people go directly to the source for materials, no fall off

Contact Zones

are found further afield, are supplied via down-the-line systems, and do show a fall-off pattern

Quid Pro Quo

something for something; what for what?

Peer Polities

autonomous sociopolitical units that interact with each other through competition, emulation, warfare, and the exchange of goods and materials

Competitive Emulation

related to conspicuous consumption (e.g., potlaches),here polities will attempt to outdo one another within stylistically circumscribed ways (e.g., Olympic venues, Maya ceremonial centers, Greek temples,Medieval cathedrals, US College football stadiums, etc.)

Competition

often in symbolic form in periodic meetings at major ceremonial centers where representatives meet, celebrate ritual, and sometimes compete in games

Warfare

may be limited in scope, intent, and practice. Very much a common form of interaction

Transmission of Innovation

interactions spheres will naturally have shared technology, to which most/all polities make contributions

Symbolic Entertainment

within interaction spheres, symbolic systems will tend to converge

Ceremonial Exchange of Valuables

including marriage partners, prestige goods, etc

Language and Ethnicity

a shared language, perhaps a trade language, can minimize miscommunications in exchange. Overextended time, peer polities may converge on a shared language and ethnicity

Cognitive Archaeology

the study of the past ways of thought from material remains

New Archaeology/Processual Archaeology

an archaeological approach that uses theories and models to explain past human behavior and cultural change

Post-Processual Archaeology

an archaeological theory movement that emphasizes the subjectivity of archaeological interpretations and the role of culture in understanding past societies

Cognitive Maps

a perspective of the world, an interpretive framework; largely shared by members of a culture... and might be accessed via studies of "world 3"

Chaîne Opératoire

Sequence of action

Cumulative Culture

THE human adaptation; the ability for individuals to build upon the advance of others, such that they can produce something that no single individual could invent on their own

Binford-Borde Debate

Lithic assemblages as functionally or culturally determined?

Physical Symbols

any object, drawing or painting that depicts/represents an object in the real world

Paleolithic Portable Art

Ice Age art encompasses thousands of engravings on stone, bone, antler, and ivory

Establishment of Place

territorial markings, including monuments

Measurement

time, length and weight; organizing our relationship with the natural world

Planning

organizing our relationship withthe future world; models, plans

Relations Between People

organizing these relationships via money, prestige/valued/ status/ranked items

Relations of People and the Supernatural

the archaeology of religion and cult

Depiction

the art of representation; sculpture and painting

Extended Texts

could record oral histories, myths, stories, philosophies, etc. that otherwise were of little value to the bureaucratic state (the Classics Department thanks them!), but greatly informs their cognitive maps

Landscape Archaeology

studies human shaping or modifications of the landscape itself; usually in reference to cognitive maps, i.e.'world 3'

Establishing Place

the location of memory

Constructed Landscape

the ways in which people interact with their environments, and the meanings and interactions they place on specific landscapes

Archaeoastronomy

the study of how ancient cultures understood the sky, and how they used and interpreted the astronomical events they observed

Symbols

Convey information

Cenotaph

an empty tomb or monument that honors a person or group of people who are buried elsewhere or whose remains are lost

Religion

action or conduct indicating a belief in, or reverence for, and a desire to please, a divine ruling power

Sculpture

to recreate in symbolic form and in three dimensions, an aspect of the world, is an astounding cognitive leap

Pictorial Relationships

painting, drawing, or carving on a flat surface to represent the world offers much more scope than the representation in three dimensions of a single figure

Bioarchaeology

the study of human remains from archaeological sites

Site Formation Processes

the natural and human-made events that create and alter archaeological sites

Cultural Modifications

human activities that alter archaeological artifacts or their context

Wolff's Law

Bone is deposited where it is needed and reabsorbed where it is not

Bilateral Asymmetry

a condition where one side of the body is not a mirror image of the other

Demographic archaeology

exploring past lifeways through population-level studies, involving the analysis of numerous individuals and settlements/sites

Paleodemography

is a related field interested in population structure, fertility rates, mortality rates, life expectancy, etc

Archaeological Ethics

the science of morals, i.e., what is right or wrong to do. Consider the right to property and/or the disposition of human remains... the problems here will not go away as they are the product of the conflict of principles