Rise of Civilizations

Theory Terminology

Site Formation Processes

conditions and events that affect material remains from the termination of use to the time they are recovered

Settlement Survey

the analysis and mapping of human settlements, examining their characteristics, patterns, and distributions to understand their organization, density, land use, and influencing factors.

Site Mapping

knowing exactly where everything was found on a site using a grid

remote sensing

the use of technology to study and interpret archaeological sites.

Archaeological Excavation

a systematic and controlled process of uncovering and studying buried archaeological remains and artifacts, allowing researchers to understand past civilizations and cultures.

Archaeological Seriation

analyzing the frequency and distribution of different artifact types or styles across multiple sites or contexts to establish a relative timeline.

Radiocarbon Dating

uses the decay of a radioactive isotope of carbon (14C) to measure time and date objects containing carbon-bearing material

Darwinism

the theory of the evolution of species by natural selection

Social Evolution

a theory of social change that holds that societies progress from simple to complex over time

V. Gordon Childe

identify key societal transformations like the Neolithic and Urban Revolutions as pivotal forces in shaping human history, emphasizing the impact of agricultural and urban development.

Lewis H. Morgan

Devised the concept of Unilinear Evolution and Social Evolution

Edward Tylor

societies have 3 stages
- savagery
- barbarianism
- civilization

Herbert Spencer

English philosopher and sociologist who applied the theory of natural selection to human societies (1820-1903)

Friedrich Engles

German social science philosopher that developed communist theory with Karl Marx.

Morton Fried

identified three basic types of societies base don their level and kinds of inequality: egalitarian, ranked, and stratified

Elman Service

4 distinct social formations: band, tribe, chiefdom, and state.

Ester Boserup

Principal critic of Malthusian theory who argued that overpopulation could be solved by increasing the number of subsistence farmers.

Thomas Malthus

populations inevitably expand until they outgrow their available food supply, causing the population growth to be reversed by disease, famine, war, or calamity.

Jared Diamond

argues that environmental factors, rather than inherent human differences, are the primary drivers of technological and societal development, explaining why certain societies thrived while others did not.

Karl Wittfogel

proposed the "hydraulic theory" suggesting that the control of water resources, particularly through large-scale irrigation systems, played a crucial role in the emergence of autocratic states and centralized societies in ancient times.

Robert Carneiro

complex societies are more likely to form where warfare between groups of people is made more intense by restricted population movement.

Roy Rappaport

religion is central to the continuing evolution of life

Ian Hodder

post-processualist theory and reflexive methods in archaeology, emphasizing the subjectivity of interpretations and the importance of engaging with the past ethically and transparently.

Robert McC. Adams

the transition from nomadic to settled agricultural life, the emergence of complex social structures, and the development of specialized roles and institutions within cities

Charles Redman

the rise of civilization in the ancient Near East, from 8000 to 2000 BCE, was driven by the introduction of agriculture and urban life

Emic

culture-specific perspective (within each culture);

Etic

humans are humans, regardless of culture

Phenomenological and Experiential

phenomenological research emphasizes the lived experience itself, while experiential learning focuses on learning through direct involvement and reflection.

Semiotic

studies how signs and symbols convey meaning, focusing on the relationships between signs, signifiers, and signifieds, and how these interact to create meaning within cultural and social contexts