ANT 351 Study Guide - Spring 2018, Comprehensive Midterm Notes - Agriculture, Maize, Arizona
ANT 351
MIDTERM EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
Fall 2018
Introduction to Archaeology
Basic concepts & terms
-Archaeology is the scientific study of material remains for the purpose of first
reconstructing, then explaining and interpreting, past human behavior.
-Material Remains
oraw materials for archaeological study are not the words, thoughts, or deeds of
people who lived in the past, but the material things that people left behind
-Archaeology is like forensic science in certain ways
oForensic science pieces together a recent crime
oArchaeology pieces together human behavior hundreds or even thousands of
years after events have happened, and the evidence is no longer fresh.
-Reconstructing, then interpreting and explaining
o2 important tasks ifn archaeology
Know what has happened in the past
Attempt to interpret and/or explain it
-2 major sides to archaeology
oHumanistic/Interpretative, and deals with the emotional, artistic, experiential
side of human experience
the meaning of our experiences as humans, and how are we similar to or
different from those who lived before?
oScientific it seeks to explain why events and processes unfolded as they did in a
specific time and place.
Why did specific events and processes happen? (such as, the invention of
agriculture, or the abandonment of an entire region, or the rise of social
complexity
Anthropology, the Concept of Culture, and Archaeology
-Culture
othe system of shared meanings that people learn from their society for use in
interacting with their surroundings, communicating with others, and coping with
the world.
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oEssentially, it’s the ability of humans to transcend biological limitations through
use of intellect
-Central Concepts
oHumans are unique in their ability to accumulate knowledge
Each generation gains to know more about the world than the previous
generation through use of oral histories, books, libraries, compact disks,
and other technologies.
oHumans are not limited in the range of possible behavior by the way we are
genetically programmed to behave.
oThe unique phenomenon of human language is how we organize our thoughts,
plan future activities and communicate those plans to others, convey our social
rules, and convey our values, hopes, fears, and beliefs.
oHumans have a unique consciousness that involves a sense of mortality and
belief in forces that cannot be perceived by the senses.
o Humans can conceive of worlds that do not yet exist, and plan and act to make
those worlds come into being.
Archaeology as a discipline within anthropology
-4 divisions
oPhysical/biological
Origins of human species
How our species has changes
Variability of populations
oCultural/sociocultural
Variation in human organization, behavior, belief, rituals in societies
oLinguistic
Language variation, acquisition, use and change
oArcheology
Studies the human past, often using the methods from other disciplines
Basic Methods of Archaeology
-Archaeological surveys are purposeful searches designed to locate remains.
-Typologies
oArtifacts
Portable objects constructed or modified by humans
Pottery, arrowheads, bone needles etc.…
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Archaeology is the scientific study of material remains for the purpose of first reconstructing, then explaining and interpreting, past human behavior. Material remains: raw materials for archaeological study are not the words, thoughts, or deeds of people who lived in the past, but the material things that people left behind. Archaeology is like forensic science in certain ways: forensic science pieces together a recent crime, archaeology pieces together human behavior hundreds or even thousands of years after events have happened, and the evidence is no longer fresh. Reconstructing, then interpreting and explaining: 2 important tasks ifn archaeology. Why did specific events and processes happen? (such as, the invention of agriculture, or the abandonment of an entire region, or the rise of social complexity. Central concepts: humans are unique in their ability to accumulate knowledge. Variation in human organization, behavior, belief, rituals in societies: linguistic. Language variation, acquisition, use and change: archeology.
