ANthropology 101 Test 2 Part 2

What is the theory of desiccation/oasis?

Animal domestication began because permanent water holes attracted hungry animals to come and graze on the stubble. people finding these animals too thin to kill for food began to fatten them up.

How did domestication take place?

as a series of interactions between species with little awareness of long-term consequences.

What does Brian Hare's research on dogs show?

That they have a genetic ability for joint attention with humans, something relatively rare between species. "Pointing" is how dogs perform "joint attention."

Where were the potato, tomato, and peanut domesticated first?

South America

What did Native Americans domesticate?

over 300 food crops including two of the four most important ones in the world today, potatoes and maize.

What is the problem with Global food distribution?

Because virologists say crowded meat farms can generate a virus that spreads quickly and is easily passed worldwide.

How was the biblical city of Jericho revealed?

By excavations revealing the remains of a sizable farming community occupied as early 10,350 years ago.

What happened to clothing during the neolithic?

It was the first time clothing was made of woven textiles

Where did farming villages first appear?

In Meso-america approximately 4,500 years ago

What occurred with the advent of sedentism?

the transition from Mesolithic to Neolithic lifestyles, agricultural populations began to show an appreciable rise in mortality rates and a decrease in health.

What are civilizations?

Societies in which large numbers of people live in cities, socially stratified and governed by centrally organized political systems

What would be a description of CatalHoyuk

It is as if a number of what otherwise would be separate neolithic villages were all crammed together in one place

What marked the transition from neolithic village life to life in the first Urban Centers?

Agricultural innovation, social stratification, central government, and diversification of labor.

What contributed to High population densities in ancient civilizations?

High crop yields resulting from agricultural innovations

What was the earliest evidence of writing

It is believed to be on tortoise shells with signs dated at 8,600 years old in a cave in china

What is the code of Hammurabi?

a detailed and standardized legal system that was written down and publicly displayed

Why are the Inca unusual?

They had no writing and instead used colored strings with knots to keep records

What are grave goods?

Objects such as utensils, figurines, and personal possessions placed in the burial chamber with the deceased

What is the action theory?

It acknowledges the relationship of society to the environment in shaping social and cultural behavior but also the forceful leaders who create change by striving to advance their positions through self-serving actions

What is considered a disease of civilization

Tuberculosis

Who was the first to divide humans into subspecies based on geographic location?

Carolus Linnaeus

What is the problem with the kinds of racial groups devised by 18th century Swedish naturalist Carolus Linnaeus?

besides being ethnocentric they confuse biological traits with cultural characteristics.