ANTH 112 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Radiocarbon Dating, Maya Civilization, 1 Bc
23 Aug 2016
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The term anthropology is derived from the greek word (pronounced anthropos ), which means human. therefore, the study of humans is called anthropology. But the study of humans is rather broad. One could argue that medicine, dentistry, and psychology are all fields of inquiry that study humans. And while anthropology does incorporate various elements of each of those, and other fields, its focus is on human culture. More formally, anthropology is the holistic, scientific study of the origin, the behavior, and the physical, social, and cultural development of humans. Before we explore anthropology in greater detail, it is necessary to first define the object of study culture. It represents the unique characteristic of humans that largely separates us from other non-humans. While our closest living relatives, the chimpanzees, also are capable of some culture, the complexity of the human brain allowed for the development of equally complex culture.
