Nystrom ANT100 Test 1 Concepts

Reasons why it is important to study the past

• can help us understand where we came from and our role in the world

• can help people respond to challenges

• provides us with individual identity but also provides cultures with identities

• gives a voice to those who are marginalized (restorative/social justice)

• allows us to explore what happened in the unwritten past

Context

the relationship of material remains (to each other and their surroundings) in time and space

Stratigraphy

the sequence of deposits

Stratification

the processes that produce stratigraphy

Association

two or more objects entered the archaeological record at or about the same time as a consequence of the same process, event, or activity

Superposition

in deformed stratigraphic sequences, the oldest strata will be at the bottom of the sequence

Original horizontality

layers of sediment are originally deposited horizontally under the action of gravity

Intersecting relationship

a feature which cuts another is the younger of the two features

Material culture

the tangible, surviving evidence of human interaction is known as ___ ___ (like artifacts and ecofacts)

Artifacts

anything made, modified, or altered by human use (ceramics, lithics/stone, metal, glass, fabric, wooden objects)

Ecofacts

unmodified, natural items found in archaeological context, often plant or animal material

Paleoethnobotany

study plant remains

Zooarchaeology

study animal remains

Bioarchaeology

study human remains

Features

nonportable archaeological remains that indicate human activity but cannot be removed without destroying the integrity of the remains

Taphonomy

study of how organic material decays, important for distinguishing between impact/influence of natural forces and human behavior

Scientific method

a logical process to acquire and interpret data, empirical

Hypothesis

a testable statement, able to generate data, empirical

Theory

the body of hypotheses that have been repeatedly tested and not ‘disproven’

Low level theory

raw data, basic observations or facts about archaeological record (Ex: observing a stone tool as such, not a naturally broken rock)

Middle level theory

reconstruction of behavior, links archaeological observations with human behavior (Ex: ditches dug as a defensive feature, vessels reflecting specific aspects of social organization)

High level theory

the big picture “why” questions (Ex: why did humans adopt agriculture? how and when did social inequality emerge?)

Anatomy

study of the structure and morphology of the body

Physiology

study of the function of the body

Chemical, cellular, tissue, organ, organ system, organism

Name the 6 levels of structural organization

Tissue level

contains the muscle, connective, nervous, and epithelial tissues

Homeostasis

our body’s adaptive responses to environmental stressors

Paleopathology

the study of the causes and effects of past diseases

Histology

microscopic anatomy, the study of cells and tissue

Chronic

persistent, long lasting

Acute

short duration

bone

Factors that influence ___’s ability to respond to stressors

• relatively slow in their response (chronic conditions)

• limited manifestations (add or destroy bone)

• nonspecific (etiology cannot be determined)

Degenerative pathologies

long-term physiological imbalance between mechanical stress placed on joint tissue and the ability of joint tissues to withstand that stress

Element

pure chemical substance consisting of one type of atom

Isotope

variant of an element that differ in the number of neutrons

Stable isotope

this type of isotope does not decay spontaneously into other elements/isotopes

Radioactive isotope

this type of isotope decays spontaneously into other elements/isotopes

Carbon

has a source of atmospheric CO2, tells us about consumption of C3 vs C4 plants

Nitrogen

provides information on trophic level and inclusion of marine food

Demography

the study of the size, structure, and distribution of populations, and spatial or temporal changes in them in response to birth, migration, aging, death

Fertility

the number of offspring born per mating pair

Mortality

number of deaths in a particular population, scales to the size of that population, per unit of time

Sex estimation

fundamentally based on sexual dimorphism (which is the differences in form or appearance between males and females of a species)

Biological growth

based on processes of skeletal and dental growth/development/maturation

Degeneration

based on random processes associated with aging/senescence

Biological organism

environmental stressors —> biological adaptation —> adaptive response

Social/cultural organism

cultural stressors —> can elicit the same adaptive response

Segmented biocultural model

in this model, biological data is the central idea, while culture and environment are outer ideas

Integrative biocultural model

in this model, biological, environmental, and cultural data sets are given equal weight

Characteristics of culture

• shared

• learned

• holistic/integrated pattern of behavior and belief

• comparative concept

Holistic

a type of research approach that incorporates multiple avenues of investigation/data into research design

Disease model

a model that takes into account:

• biomedicine (individual health)

• public health (population health)

• empirical/data driven

• lab-based

Social perspective model

a model that takes into account:

• holism

• complex interactive system (social, political, economic, environmental, historical)

social, political, economic, environmental, historical

Name the 5 parts of a complex interactive system

Medical ecology

a type of ecology that views populations as biological as well as cultural units and studies interactions among ecological systems, health, and human evolution

Ethnomedical analysis

a type of analysis focuses on cultural systems of healing and the cognitive parameters of illness

Cosmopolitan

part of ethnomedical analysis that emphasizes empirical research, naturalistic explanations, technology/surgery, hierarchical roles

Humoral

part of ethnomedical analysis that emphasizes that health reflects balance among bodily humors and their intrinsic qualities

Applied medical anthropology

deals with intervention, prevention, and policy issues and analyses the socioeconomic forces and power differentials that influence access to care

Explanatory model

this model includes notions about the causes of illness, diagnostic criteria, treatment options

Critical Clinical Medical Anthropology

a type of medical anthro that looks at the biomedical practice and the differentials in power and knowledge between practitioner and patient - form of social control

Critical Medical Anthropology

a type of medical anthro that analyses impact of global economic systems on local and national health