Details Title: Anthropology & Archaeology Description: Introductory definitions for anthropology & archaeology Total Flash Cards: 90 Created: 02/21/2008 08:09:45		New Users: To study from this flashcard set, or to create your own your own study flash cards, REGISTER HERE. Existing Users: CLICK HERE. Additional Anthropology Flashcards
Cards in this set: Term Anthropology Definition The study of humankind in all times and places; objective & systematic study of humankind Term Biological anthropology (physical anthropology) Definition The systematic study of humans as biological organisms; looks at biology in relation to behaviour, human biological evolution, genetics, primate biological evolution, forensics, and paleoarchaeology Term Sociocultural anthropology Definition Looks at the social & cultural life of mankind; and looks at relationships of individuals to individuals, individuals to groups, and groups to groups; focuses on humans as a culture-making species Term Applied anthropology Definition Applying the knowledge & methods of anthropology to solve practical problems Term Paleoanthropology Definition The study of fossil remains with the goal of reconstructing human biological evolution Term Paleoanthropologists Definition Recover & study fossil evidence for human evolution Term Primatology Definition The study of nonhuman primates, their biology, adaptation, and social behaviour Term Forensic anthropology Definition A field of biological anthropology & archaeology that specializes in identification of human skeletal remains for legal purposes Term Archaeology Definition The study of material remains, usually from the past, to describe & explain human behaviour Term Archaeologists Definition Study what people have left behind in context; formulate hypotheses; look at culture change over time; review archives & written records; and reconstruct past events Term Prehistoric/Pre-Contact archaeology Definition The study of ancient cultures that did not posses writing systems to record their history Term Historic archaeology Definition The study of past cultures that possessed written records of their history (in order to supplement material remains people left behind) Term Cultural resource management (CRM or contract archaeology) Definition The assessment & possible excavation of archaeological sites threatened by human activity Term Linguistic anthropology Definition The branch of anthropology that studies human language; involved in 3 major concepts – looking at grammar, vocabulary and meaning; studying evolution of language (cultural and biological); and looking at comparative linguistics (comparing languages) Term Descriptive linguistics Definition Studies patterns & structure in language Term Historical linguistics Definition Studies language origins, language change, and relationships between languages Term Culture Definition 1) The totality of learned & shared pattern of beliefs and behaviours of a human group; includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities or habits acquired by mankind as a member of society; 2) The often unconscious standards by which societies operate Term Culture-bound Definition A thought or idea that is based on assumptions & values of one’s own culture Term Ethnographer Definition An anthropologist who studies cultures from a comparative or historical point of view, utilizing ethnographic accounts Term Ethnography Definition The systematic description of a particular culture based on firsthand observation Term Ethnohistory Definition Study of cultures of recent past through oral histories & written accounts left by explorers, missionaries, and traders Term Participant observation Definition Technique of learning a people’s culture through direct participation in their everyday life for extended period of time Term Holistic perspective Definition Fundamental principle of anthropology, that various parts of culture must be viewed in broadest possible context to understand their interconnections & interdependence Term Informants Definition Members of a society in which ethnographer works who help interpret what she/he sees taking place Term Prehistoric Definition Period of time before appearance of written records; does not deny existence of history Term Pre-contact Definition Period before European arrival in the Americas; prior to contact with Native/indigenous peoples Term Artefact Definition Any object fashioned or altered by humans; tangible remains of the past that are a patterned reflection of the culture that produced them Term Attributes Definition Identifiable properties that combine to give the object its distinct form Term Fossil Definition Remains of once-living organism, generally having lived more than 10 000 years ago Term Sites Definition Special clusters of artefacts, features, and/or ecofacts; places containing remains of previous human activity Term Feature Definition A place within a site that is treated separately from other places within the site; non-portable artefact that cannot be removed from place of discovery without altering/destroying its original form Term Soil marks Definition Stains that show up on surface of recently plowed fields that reveal an archaeological site Term Regions Definition Largest & most flexible special clusters of archaeological data; definable area bounded by topographic features such as mountains & bodies of water Term Data universe Definition A bounded research area (bounded in both time & geographical space) Term Non-arbitrary sample units Definition Sample units that correspond either to natural areas (i.e. microenviroment) or cultural entities (i.e. rooms, houses, or sites) Term Arbitrary sample units Definition Sample units with no inherent natural or cultural relevance (i.e. sample units defined by a grid system) Term Population Definition The aggregate (entire sum) of all sample units Term Total data acquisition Definition Investigation of all units in the population Term Sample data acquisition Definition Situations in which only a portion or sample of data can be collected from a given archaeological data pool Term Archaeological research design Definition Sequence of stages that guides conduct of archaeological investigation to ensure validity of results & makes efficient use time, money, and effort Term Datum point Definition Starting or reference point for a grid system Term Matrix Definition Physical medium that surrounds, holds, and supports other archaeological data Term Provenience Definition 3D location of any kind of archaeological data on or within the matrix Term Space Definition  In archaeology, the is exact location of an archaeological find in latitude, longitude, and depth, which together identify any point in space absolutely & uniquely Term Association Definition 2 or more artefacts (or any other kind of data) occurring together in same matrix Term Culture area Definition Geographical area over which assemblages (collection of artefacts) that makeup a unique culture are defined in time & space Term Primary context Definition Conditions in which both provenience & matrix have been undisturbed since original deposition Term Secondary context Definition Condition in which provenience, association, and matrix have been wholly or partially altered by processes of transformation Term Endocast Definition A cast of the inside of a skull, which helps determine size & shape of brain Term Flotation Definition An archaeological technique used to recover very tiny objects (i.e. seeds, pollen, etc.) by immersion of soil samples in water to separate heavy from light particles Term Polynology Definition The microscopic analysis of pollen Term Paleoethnobotany Definition Analysis & interpretation of archaeological plant remains Term Archaeozoology Definition Analysis & interpretation of archaeological animal remains Term Technology Definition The knowledge that people employ to make & use objects Term Human osteology Definition The study of human skeletal remains Term Relative dating Definition Consists of finding out if an event, object, or fossil is older or younger than another (consists of seriation & stratigraphy techniques) Term Absolute/Chronometric dating Definition Archaeological material dates are based on solar years, centuries, or others units of absolute time (radiocarbon dating, potassium argon dating, and dendrochronology) Term Stratigraphy Definition Most reliable method of relative dating by means of strata Term Seriation Definition Method used to place artefacts in approximate chronological order based on recognition of small-scale incremental changes in form or style Term Artefact typology Definition Objects showing greatest similarities in style, design, and manufacturing are closest together in time Term Radiocarbon analysis Definition Technique for chronometric dating based on measuring amount of radioactive carbon (C-14) left in organic materials found in archaeological sites Term Dendrochronology Definition Method of chronometric dating based on number of rings of growth found in a tree trunk Term Potassium-argon dating Definition  Technique for chronometric dating that measures ratio of radioactive potassium to argon in volcanic debris associated with human remains (used to date inorganic substances) Term Analogies Definition Structures that look similar & may serve the same purpose (i.e. wings of birds & butterflies) but are built from different parts & do not pass through similar stages in embryonic development Term Homologies Definition Structures possessed by 2 different organisms that arise in similar fashion & pass through similar stages during embryonic development (i.e. hand of a human & front paw of a dog) Term Evolution Definition Descent with modification Term Species Definition Population or group of populations that is capable of interbreeding but that is reproductively isolated from other such populations Term Genera/Genus Definition A group of like species Term Natural selection   Definition The evolutionary process through which factors in environment exert pressure that favours some individuals over others to produce next generation Term Population Definition A group of similar individuals that can & do interbreed Term Hardy-Weinburg principle Definition States that percentage of individuals that are homozygous for dominant allele, homozygous for recessive allele, and heterozygous should remain constant from 1 generation to the next, provided certain specified conditions are met Term Mutation Definition Chance alteration of a gene that produces a new allele; ultimate source of change Term Genetic drift Definition Refers to chance fluctuations of allele frequencies in gene pool of a population Term Gene flow Definition Introduction of alleles from gene pool of 1 population into that of another Term Interspecies gene transfer Definition The transfer of DNA, as when retroviruses insert DNA into cells of 1 species from another Term Adaptation Definition Process by which organisms achieve a beneficial adjustment to an available environment Term Stabilizing selection Definition Natural selection as it acts to promote stability, rather than change, in a population’s gene pool Term Ancestral traits Definition Characteristics that are shared widely (i.e. mammary glands in mammals) & are considered to have been shared by a common ancestor Term Haplorhini Definition Primate suborder that includes tarsiers, monkeys, apes, and humans Term Derived traits Definition Characteristics that are shared narrowly among organisms & shows that organisms have a close evolutionary relationship Term Estrus Definition The time of sexual receptivity in female primates during which ovulation takes place Term Sexual dimorphism Definition The presence of marked anatomical differences between males & females of a single species Term Home Range Definition The area within which a group of primates usually moves Term Tools Definition Objects used to facilitate some task or activity; Term Race Definition A population of a species that differs in allele frequencies from other such populations Term Isolating mechanisms Definition Factors that separate breeding populations, thereby preventing gene flow & creating divergent subspecies & ultimately (if maintained) divergent species Term Divergent or branching evolution Definition An evolutionary process in which ancestral population gives rise to 2 or more descendant populations that differ from one another Term Convergence Definition The process by which unrelated populations develop similarities to one another Term Linear evolution Definition A sustained directional shift in a population’s average characteristics Term Adaptive radiation Definition The rapid diversification of an evolving population as it adapts to a variety of available niches