Anthropology Exam 2

Material Culture

Material culture = physical objects people make/use

Archaeology Terms

Site = place where artifacts are found
Artifact = human-made object
Ecofact = natural remain (bones, seeds)
Feature = non-movable structure (fire pit)
Assemblage = group of artifacts found together

Excavation

digging to uncover remains

Survey

finding sites (no digging)

Relative dating

puts things in order

Stratigraphy

layers (older = deeper)

Seriation

ordering by style

Absolute dating

exact age

Radiocarbon

uses carbon to date organic material

Dendrochronology

tree rings

Development of Archaeology

Speculative = guessing about the past
Descriptive = recording finds
Classification = grouping artifacts
Explanatory = explaining why/how

Processual

scientific, objective

Post-processual

subjective, focuses on meaning

Three Age System

Stone Age → Bronze Age → Iron Age

Colonialism & Archaeology

Colonialism = outside control over land/people
Affected archaeology by bias and taking artifacts

Meaning-Making

Expressive = shows feelings (art, music)
Ritual = repeated symbolic actions
Embodied = meaning through the body (movement, habits)

Belief

what people think is true

Practice

what people do (rituals, actions)

Ritual

repeated, meaningful actions

Rites of passage

mark life changes (birth, marriage)

Pilgrimage

journey to a sacred place

Liminality

in-between stage

Communitas

feeling of unity

Magic

Imitative = like affects like
Contagious = contact spreads power
Witchcraft = using magic to harm

Orthodoxy

correct beliefs

Heterodoxy

different beliefs

Orthopraxy

correct actions

Heteropraxy

different actions

Priest vs Shaman

Priest = trained, formal leader
Shaman = spiritual healer, connects to spirits

Rite of Passage

ritual marking life change

Achieved vs Ascribed Status

Achieved = earned (job, education)
Ascribed = born with (age, race)

Family / Kinship

Family = group related by blood, marriage, or adoption
Kinship = system of relationships

Kinship Systems (6)

Eskimo = nuclear family focus
Hawaiian = same term for relatives of same generation
Iroquois = separates parallel vs cross cousins
Sudanese = different term for each relative
Omaha = father’s side important
Crow = mother’s side important

Adoption

taking in a child as family (not biological)

Residence Patterns

Neolocal = new home
Patrilocal = with husband’s family
Matrilocal = with wife’s family
Avunculocal = with mother’s brother

Descent

Bilateral = both parents
Unilateral = one side only

Matrilineal = mother’s line
Patrilineal = father’s line

Bifurcation

separating relatives on mother vs father side

Family Types

Nuclear = parents + kids
Extended = includes relatives
Blended = step-family

Bridewealth vs Dowry

Bridewealth = groom’s family pays bride’s
Dowry = bride’s family gives to groom

Clan / Lineage / Descent

Clan = large kin group (not exact proof)
Lineage = direct ancestry known
Descent = tracing family line

Collaterality

relatives not in direct line (siblings, cousins)

Consanguineal vs Affinal

Consanguineal = blood relatives
Affinal = by marriage

Cousins

Parallel = same-side parents (mom’s sister, dad’s brother)
Cross = opposite-side parents

Marriage Rules

Endogamy = marry within group
Exogamy = marry outside group

Marriage Types

Marriage = union of partners
Separation = living apart
Divorce = legal end

Polygamy Types

Polygamy = multiple spouses
Polygyny = one man, many wives
Polyandry = one woman, many husbands

Monogamy

one spouse

Ötzi the Iceman

Ötzi = preserved human from the Ice Age

Thutmose

Egyptian ruler

Moctezuma

Aztec ruler

Romans

early builders/artifacts

Early Excavations

Stonehenge = ancient monument
Pompeii = buried Roman city
Mound Builders Myth = wrong idea that natives didn’t build mounds

Colonialism & Archaeology

Colonialism led to bias and taking artifacts from other cultures

King Tut’s Tomb

King Tut = Egyptian pharaoh with rich tomb

“Comedian” (Banana)

Art piece of banana taped to wall
Shows meaning of art is socially created

Witchcraft (Azande)

Witchcraft explains bad events in society

Kinship & Marriage (Examples)

Neur = cattle important
Khasi = matrilineal
Ashanti = matrilineal
Navajo = kinship-based society
Himalayas = polyandry
Utah = polygyny

Marriage Types

Ghost marriage = marry dead person
Woman marriage = woman takes role of husband
Walking marriage = no permanent marriage

Gender & Marriage

Third gender = beyond male/female
Gay marriage = same-sex marriage

Dowry Example

Nisha Sharma = refused dowry marriage

Medical Tech

IVF = assisted reproduction
Organ transplant = replacing organs

Adoption (Andes)

Child circulation = children move between families

Archaeology & Kinship

Used to study past family relationships