Global Prehistory Flashcards

Flashcards about Global Prehistory

What is prehistory typically referred to as?

An age before written record

What scientific evidence helps us understand prehistory?

Carbon dating, stratigraphic dating, contextual evidence, etc.

What disciplines are required for a well-rounded understanding of prehistory?

Anthropology, archaeology, biology, chemistry, etc.

What is stratigraphy?

Archaeological technique of deducing information about an object or site by mapping its relative position in a stratigraphic profile

How does stratigraphy tell us about the age of objects?

Oldest stuff is typically at the bottom, newest at top

What is radiocarbon dating?

A process using radioactive carbon (carbon-14) to determine how long it has been since an organism died

What materials is radiocarbon dating useful for?

Bone, antler, shell, and other bio-materials

What is contextual evidence in archaeology?

An object’s function, purpose, age, etc. is determined from the evidence found in close proximity of the object (i.e. its ‘site’)

What primarily facilitated Homo migrations?

Climate change

What happened between 120,000 BCE and 50,000 BCE regarding Homo sapiens?

Homo sapiens began to migrate out of Africa to populate other parts of the world

Name the periods of the Stone Age

Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic

What are the approximate dates for the Paleolithic period?

~40,000 - 9,000 BCE

What are the approximate dates for the Neolithic period?

~8,000 - 2,300 BCE

What was depicted in Paleolithic art?

Most subjects in art are animals and fecund (fertile) women

What are characteristics of Paleolithic sculptures?

Most free-standing sculptures are small and portable and made of stone, ivory, or bone

What are characteristics of Paleolithic paintings?

Painted in many different sizes and scales on rocks, usually in caves

What defines the Neolithic Revolution?

Plants/animals domesticated (beginnings of agriculture), humans begin to settle in permanent homes/buildings

What are characteristics of Neolithic paintings?

Organized narrative scenes that involve more human figures

What is a menhir?

A large stone erected on its own or in rows

What is a megalith?

A rectangular prism-shaped menhir used to construct a complex