Anthropology Exam 1

anthropology

the study of human condition across time and space

what are the four subfields of anthropology?

cultural, archaeology, linguistics, biological

applied anthropology

applying anthropology to real world problems

culture

a set of learned behaviors and beliefs transmitted from one generation to the next (ex: religion, language, social organization)

cultural anthropology

the study of non-western societies

ethnography

description of human societies/uses participant observation

xenophobia

prejudice against people from other countries

ethnocentrism

thinking one’s own group ways are superior to others

cultural relativism

not judging another cultural that may differ

linguistic anthropology

the study of human speech and language

physical/biological anthropology

the study of human biology

biocultural perspective

a feedback system through which the biological and cultural interact

what are the subdisciplines of biological anthropology?

osteology, human growth and development, paleoanthropology, primate paleontology, primatology, molecular, modern human physiological adaptations

archaeological anthropology

the study of the human past

geological time is broken up into…

eras

prehistoric means…

before writing

historic means…

writing

artificat

object that a human has created or altered

archaeological site

a location where evidence of past human behavior can be recovered

geophysical prospecting examples include…

ground penetrating radar, electromagnetic testing, metal detectors

excavation

dig the site

provenience

place of discovery and origin (position)

in situ

position in the Earth of the artifact

archaeological sites are what kind of resource?

nonrenewable

what determines the contents of a site?

activities performed, age of site, erosion, preservation, bioturbation

bioturbation

sites are altered by the activities of living thing (ex: animals)

datum point

permanent fixture in a landscape to measure to

primary

location where the artifact was left in the past

secondary

context that is disturbed

stratigraphy

study of the layers of the Earth

law of superposition

lower layers are older than upper layers

isotope

variant of an element

half-life

cutting each sample in half (ex: 10—>5—>2.5)

what is the minimum limit of the radiopotassium dating method?

500-300 ka

what is the maximum limit of radiocarbon dating method?

40-30 ka

what is the half-life of carbon 14?

5,730 years

what is the half-life of potassium 40?

1.25 billion years

horizontal excavations

much wider, find a huge layout

ecofacts

organic remains not modified by people (not always organic)

features

concentrations of artifacts that reflect one behavior (ex: house, burial)

taxonomy

the classification of living things

what is the most distinct feature of hominins?

bipedalism

orthognathic vs. prognathic

flat vs. protruding

in humans, the gluteus maximus…

pushes back when walking

valgus knee

allows humans to balance on one leg when we walk (angle of leg)

arch of foot

acts as a spring, energy efficient to walk

foramen magnum

keeps the human head balanced

big toes

help humans push off when walking

sexual dimorphism

difference in size and shape in sex of a species

polygamy

mating with more than one partner (often as many as possible)

monogomy

one partner in mating (loyal)

paleoanthropology

the study of ancient human fossils

what is found in all rocks?

potassium 40

what is the half-life of argon 40?

1-5 million years

the best samples of rocks are exposed to what temperatures?

high

east african rift valley

a location in africa where plates pull apart and expose layers of the Earth, where many ancestors are from/have been discovered

sahelanthropus tchadensis

toros-menalla, chad

eyebrow ridge

little prognathism

no c/p3 honing complex

foramen magnum anteriorly placed (sign of bipedalism)

orrorin tugenesis

tugen hills, kenya

lived in forested environment

dental remains and postcranial bones

curved phalanges

long femoral neck

thicker cortical bone on inferior side of femur neck

groove on neck of femur produced by obturator externus tendon

ardipithecus ramidus

lived in forested environment

abducted big toe

forelimbs and hindlimbs of equal length

pelvis broad and short

megadonts

large teeth, especially molars and premolars

australopithecus anamensis

large canines (sexually dimorphic)

curved hand phalanges and long arms

valgus knee

australopithecus afarensis (lucy)

hadar, ethiopia

laetoli, tanzania (fossilized footprints)

sexual dimorphism in canine

canine wear at tips

prognathic face

curved phalanges

long upper limbs

paranthropus aethiopicus

“black skull”

broad face

large back teeth

paranthropus boisei

olduvai (east africa)

high sexual dimorphism

saggital crest and broad face

paranthropus robustus

south africa

not as robust as boisei

australopithecus africanus

south africa

megadont, but smaller than paranthropus

less prognathism than austrolopithecus afarensis

australopithecus sediba

malapa cave, south africa

long arms with curved fingers

more orthognatic face and smaller teeth

homo naledi

small teeth and mandible

pelvis flared

angled back of head

human-like hands and feet

curved hand phalanges

sagittal keel (faint ridge of bone around midline)

elongated lower limbs

big brow ridges

purposeful burial?

where were the oldest of all human tools found?

olduvai gorge

debitage

waste product created

a hammerstone and core rock were used to create a…

flake (olduwan tools)

lithic

rock

assemblage

all of the tools made by a group in a specific location

unifacial

one side of rock is used

retouching

reflaking a flake

Louis Leaky was an anthropologist and a…

spy

what was the first human toolmaker?

homo habillis

homo habillis

first human toolmaker

2.3 mya at hadar, ethiopia

1.8 mya at olduvai, tanzania

1.44 mya at ileret, kenya

large back teeth

the pleistocene

“ice age”

glaciation

cold temperatures

expanded glaciers

arid (dry) near equator

interglacial

retreat of glaciers

more precipitation

what are some possible causes of glaciations and interglacials?

volcanoes

mountain uplift

milankovtich forcing

milankovitch forcing

variability in the earth’s orbit around the sun

what is a big change with the discover of homo erectus?

colonized africa and europe

first hominin without curved fingers

homo erectus

more elaborate stone tools

1.9 mya

sexually dimorphic

heavily built with thick bone

heavy meat diet

what makes homo erectus have a highly distinctive cranial shape?

huge brow ridge

angled back of skull

long and low braincase

wide cranium base

homo erectus (dating to 1.8mya) was found in…

the republic of georgia

where was an adolescent homo erectus discovered?

nariokotome, kenya

what is the oldest site of homo erectus?

dmanisi

what is unique about the homo erectus fossils found in dmanisi?

some of different traits from typical homo erectus, high variability

one skull found in dmanisi was missing teeth, why is this important?

worked together to chew food, empathy

homo erectus still found use in what kind of tools?

olduwan

where is the largest collection of homo erectus?

zhoukoudian cave

approximately how many artifacts have been recovered from the zhoukoudian cave?

100,000

acheulean hand axe

more advanced tool, requires hard and soft hammer techniques, thorough planning

clactonian is another term for…

olduwan

what are the three divisions of archaeological time?

stone, bronze, and iron ages

the stone age is divided into two subdivisions…

paleolithic and neolithic

paleolithic

hunter/gatherer time period

the paleolithic subdivision is divided into four more categories…

basal, lower, middle, upper