ANTH Chapter 11 - Upper Paleolithic World

The New World is known as what period? What is its range of years?

"Paleo-Indian", 12,000 - 10,000 ya

Is Africa known as "The Later Stone Age" or "Paleo-Indian?"

"The Later Stone Age"

What are 4 terms which describe the causes of the extinction of North America's mammoths and other Megafauna?

- "Over-Kill" - Humans hunted the animals to extinction - "Over-chill" - Known climate changes at that time caused widespread die-off - "Over-ill" - Pathogens brought by newly arriving people or animals killed them off - "Over-grill" - A major catastrophe (comet, etc.) killed them off and ***brought an end to Clovis sites***

There are new models for the peopling of the Americas. What does the Linguistic Evidence say about the early people of the Americas?

- 3 language families(*do we need to know names of these specific groups???*) of the Americas are all closer to ASian languages than to each other. - Linguistic patterns suggest several waves of migration from Asia

What facts are important to the Dolni Vestonice site?

- Ca. 25,000 - Settlement of 4 tent-huts of animal skin - Central hearth (fire pit) - Mammoth bones used for architecture - 100+ Mammoth bones - Total pop.: 100-125 people - Burials, animal figurines, decorative objects

What are some of the key features of the Upper Paleolithic Period?

- Emergence of art - Complex, elaborate tools - Ritual and burial - Sea navigation (populations in Australia, New Guinea, etc.) - More sites, more sedentism, more people?

What were the 2 new techniques which appeared in tool making in Upper Paleolithic tools?

- Indirect percussion - Pressure flaking

What was significant about the "Olsen-Chubbouck Site" and where is it located? What does "arroyo" mean?

- It is a "Kill site" in Colorado - Dry gulch ("arroyo"), dated to 6500 B.C. - Remains of 200 bison found in the gulch (bison were corralled, then forced to run off a cliff. Some were butchered at top of cliff) - Complete skeletons at the bottom, butchered animals at the top. - Bison were corralled into a trap! As much as 55,000 lbs. of meat would have been collected - This marked a major effort of **coordinated hunting AND processing** - Bison dragged up the arroyo; meat had to be cut, distributed, preserved - This was all still during the Paleo-Indian period

What does indirect percussion require, and what is its benefit?

- It requires a hammer, a punch(antler, wood, etc), and a prepared core. - This technique allows the artisan to strike off blades of consistent shape - It also produces blades that are twice as long as they are wide

During the Paleo-Indian period under the Folsom Toolmakers, what were some of the major happenings?

- Mammoth disappear ca. 10,000 ya - Changes in tools accompany changes in animal assemblages - hunting different/bigger game(Bison, wolf, deer, etc.) - Rio Grande Valley --> Base camps on ridges were overlooking watering holes and grazing land [as a hunting strategy]

What are four cases which suggest humans in the Americas prior to Clovis?

- Monte Verde site, Chile - Stone tools, hearth & hut remains ca. 33,000 - 12,500ya - Cactus Hill site, VA-Blades and tools below Clovis Layers - Meadowcroft rockshelter, PA- Stone tools dated to 12,800 ya - Paisley Caves, OR - Human coprolite dated to 14,400 ya

When do we see North America's Megafauna begin to disappear?

- North America's mammoths and other megafauna begin to disappear ca. 13,000 ya

In Clovis Culture, what was found from the research and excavations of some of the sites?

- That sites date from 11,200 - 10,900 ya - Clovis points, probably hafted to a spear shaft - They hunted large game - Mammoth found with 8 Clovis points in it!

What are 2 possible results/consequences from the emergence of symbolic art?

- The emergence of language, changes in the brain - Shared visual symbols = shared spoken symbols? - Mutation for abstract and symbolic thought?

At Dolni Vestonice, what what significant about The Triple Burial?

- Three adolescents: 2 males and 1 deformed female - Genetic testing shows probably from one family - Unusual body positioning - Red ochre on hands and heads

How many years ago are the Venus figurines from?

25,000 ya. - There are several theories as to their significance, whether it was to portray fertility, or many other religious or superstitious reasons.

The Upper Paleolithic range of years was what?

40,000 ya to 10,000 ya

True/False - Art is a system of shared symbols

True

True/False - Clovis Culture falls under the Paleo-Indian period.

True

True/False - None of the existing theories provides solid evidence to ascertain what exactly happened to the megafauna.

True

True/False - People remained hunters and gatherers and fishers and lived in highly mobile bands

True

True/False - Upper Paleolithic peoples used mammoth-bone to construct shelters.

True

How were Upper Paleolithic tools used, and what's an example?

Upper Paleolithic peoples were far more adept hunters and fishers than their predecessors. Ex: the chucker example - leverage in the spear to fling it further/faster

Does newer evidence suggest humans in the Americas prior to Clovis (pre-11,500 ya)?

Yes

What is a Burin?

chisel-like stone tools that can be used for carving.

True/False - There was not a larger variety in the Upper Paleolithic tools

False - There was a much larger variety of tools in the Upper Paleolithic period than in previous periods.

True/False - Until recently, it was believed that humans entered the Americas before 11,500 ya

False - after 11,500

True or False - Envionments in the Paleolithic were similar to today's environment.

False - they were very different. The Upper Paleolithic world was characterized with a much different environment. The world was locked in an ice age and annual temps were as much as 50 degreesF below today's.

What is the method and purpose of pressure flaking?

For final stages of retouching; it's pressure applied with bone, wood, or antler at the edge to remove small flakes.

What does the term "Pleistocene" mean, and what period does it refer to?

Geological Epoch, The Upper Paleolithic period

What was the purpose of a Burin?

The development of burins in the Upper Paleolithic probably aided in the fashioning of more elaborate and finer tools such as bone needles and harpoons.

What are the earliest forms of art found in Upper Paleolithic Europe?

Beads and carvings

Where was the oldest human art found, what is it, and how old is it? This is an example of Upper Paleolithic Art.

Blombos Cave South Africa, Red ochre (a stone with patterned etchings/scratchings on it), ca. 77,000 ya

Where were some of the earliest cases of painting found?

Cave paintings found in France and Spain

What is the term "Clovis Culture" named after?

Distinct tools found near Clovis, NM in 1930s

When did the migration of H.Sapiens to The New World occur?

During The Beringia Land Bridge

How did the Beringia Land Bridge occur?

Ice sheets pulled up the water which exposed land that connects Siberia to N. America. ??????I don't know if we need to know the dates surrounding this????????

Did Lifestyles change when moving into the Upper Paleolithic period from previous time period before this?

Not much. There was still hunting, gathering, fishing, and small group bands

Who were the earliest humans in The New World?

Only H. sapiens are found in the New World. This is relatively recent

In upper Paleolithic Europe, where did the people make their camps?

Out in the open and in caves and rock shelters

What form of art came shortly after the 2 earliest forms of art of the Upper Paleolithics?

Paintings

There are new models for the peopling of the Americas. What was a big piece of Biological Evidence that supported there being an early populating of the Americas?

Shovel-shaped incisors. - This is a Common Asian trait - Proportions of incisors fall into 3 distinct groups among New World populations - These 3 groups correspond to the 3 linguistic groups! - Again, several waves of migration suggested??

Microliths and Hafting were -->

Smaller blades were produced which coud be hafted(embedded in) to handles. From doing this, you can make spears, adzes, knives, sickles, etc. One lump of stone could be used to make many replacement blades.

What is the name of the oldest recorded ceramic object ever found? (Dolni Vestonice)

The Black Venus

In upper Paleolithic Europe, what country was the famous Dolni Vestonice site located in?

The Czech Republic

What are the 4 extinct animals that are categorized under "Pleistocene Megafauna?"

The giant ground sloth, the mammoth, the cave bear, and the saber-toothed cat.