Chapter 2: Anthropology

Principle Terms:

  • Anthropological Archaeology - Study, execution, and training of archeology research based on anthropology
  • New World - Refers to North, Central, and South America
  • Old World - Area known before the discovery of the Americas, includes parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Eastern Hemisphere
  • Hunter-Gatherer - Natives and early human societies
  • Paleoindians - First people to inhabit the Americas
  • Big-Game Hunters - Natives who hunted large animals including mammoths and bison
  • Savagery - Refers to early hunting-gathering groups
  • Barbarism - Refers to more advanced, but not yet civilized societies
  • Civilizations - Refers to the most advanced human societies
  • Neolithic Revolution - Is the domestication of plants and animals
  • New Archeology - Explains the past and looks for the why behind human pre-history
  • Processual Archaeology - Is the Process of examining culture one after another

Types of Anthropology:

  • Biological/Physical Anthropology - Human biology that includes the study of human fossils, osteology, and primate research
  • Linguistic Anthropology - Study and research of language as an insight into cultural institutions
  • Social/Cultural Anthropology - Study living cultures around the world
  • Archeology Anthropology - Study ancient societies and cultures that existed in the past

Key Questions:

  • How does archeology differ from the ideas of new archeology?

    • Archeology studies human existence in the past on a physical and cultural level, however, new archaeology adds to the study of figuring out the why behind the physical and cultural changes

  • How did humans move from hunter-gatherers to civilizations?

    • The Neolithic Revolution allowed villages to grow their populations and learn new skills

  • When does human pre-history begin?

    • It begins with the finding of stone tools

  • What are the goals of anthropological archaeology?

    1. The study and ordering of cultural history
    2. The reconstruction of past behaviors and lifeways
    3. Investigating why and how human societies changed during pre-history

  • Why were archeologists discouraged from studying prehistory in the past?

    • Preservation concerns supported the idea that studying the past was impossible