ANTH 102 Study Guide Final
Younger Dryas
"Little Ice Age," a brief return to near-glacial conditions around 10,800-9,500 B.C. that may have stimulated the development of agriculture in Southwest Asia
Homo erectus
"Upright man" these hominids became skillful hunters and invented more sophisticated tools for digging, scraping and cutting. They also became the first hominids to migrate from Africa. Also were the first to use fire.
Huánuco Pampa
(INCA SITE): Inca Provincial Administrative Center An Inca Provincial Administrative Center Functions were mainly administrative rather than commercial- no major market Evidence for State control of Cloth Production at Huanuco Pampa Looking at pollen or pollen seeds for cotton weeping Spindle Whorl and distaff used for cotton making
Homo habilis
(man of skill) first to make stone tools. 2.5-1.6 mya Brain size is half the size of modern humans Closer to us than Australopithecus Afarensis Tool users Dexterous Discovered by Mary and Louis Leaky.
Olmec art—were-jaguar
-Carved celts -Human like and jaguar like features -Shamanistic powers? -Jaguars are very potent and symbolic -Cleft in its head with series of depictions, suggested it is representation to distinguish people from other depictions -Human figure, perhaps a caretaker holding werejaguar on hands/lap, difficult to interpret
Temple of the Feathered Serpent
-Human sacrifice -Located within outer compound -Figure we see in architecture probably affiliated with quetzoquelado (ruffle of feathers around neck) -200 humans sacrifice, found underneath foundation -Wearing elaborate necklaces compromised of teeth and human jaw bones, warriors wearing warfare trophies - Back of the Ciudadela
Bone tools
-Made into needles, awls, points, knives, and harpoons -Often engraved with intricate pictures and carvings -Created by Homo sapiens.
La Venta
-artificially raised area, preconceived layout Colossal Heads Island Location Earthen Pyramids-- volcano shaped pyramid (Great Pyramid) in MesoAmerica Basalt Tomb Monuments Defaced in Antiquity Ritual Cache from La Venta (Dedicatory Offering): few inches high, found buried in a pit North of Earthen Pyramid, earliest example of dedicatory offerings, buried essentially in a pit at the same time the structure is built, ceremony marking inauguration, this is part of a larger class of rituals in Mesoamerica Ritual that mimics life of crisis of the individuals Kivas have names in a naming ceremony that a person goes to when they are given a name
Mesoamerican civilizations
1. Farming: Maize, Beans, Squash, Chili peppers 2. Calendar and Astronomy 3. Hieroglyphic Writing 4. Ballgame 5. Markets 6. Warfare and Blood Sacrifice 7. Autosacrifice through Bloodletting 8. Mesoamerican Deities
Factors contributing to Classic Maya collapse
1. Population growth 2. Environmental growth 3. Severe drought (begins AD 850) 4. Chronic warfare 5. Limited, local authority of rulers -By AD 910, all of the lowland Maya centers had collapsed
Tigre Complex, Danta Complex
180 ft. in height, structure 34, E group, the amount of labor harnessed to construct this
Pleistocene
2 mya- 10 kya Ice Age Climate fluctuates between glacial and interglacial intervals.
Paracas mummy bundles
2,000-year-old cloth from the South Coast of Peru Despite the textile's small size (it measures about two by five feet), it contains a vast amount of information about the people who lived in ancient Peru; and despite its great age and delicacy, its colors are brilliant, and tiny details amazingly intact. This is due to the arid environment of southern Peru along the Pacific shore, where it is so dry that organic material buried in the sand remains well preserved for hundreds or even thousands of years.
Basal Paleolithic
2.6-1.8 mya; Period marked by Oldowon tools and flakes made by A. Garhi
Rotunda of the Bulls
4 bulls painted in cave. Located in Lascaux cave. Thought to be connected to rituals.
Pliocene
5-1.8 mya
Upper Paleolithic
50 kya- 10 kya Extensive use of bone, wood, shell, antler and ivory for tools Peak of stone tool technology Special flaking technology is developed Long distance transport or exchange of raw materials First significant and ornamentation, and compelling evidence for ritual. Last part of the Old Stone Age.
Gran Dolina
900 kya Homo Erectus (H. Heidelbergensis) fossils Fossils found with tool marks on them Burying Rituals.
Klasies River Mouth
A Middle Stone Age site. Anatomically modern humans in South Africa. Hunters that hunted prey on land, bush pigs, and cape buffalo.
Shanidar Cave
A cave found in Eastern Iraq, in which it is believed a funeral was held 60,000 years ago by a group of Neanderthals. This leads scientists to believe that Neanderthals were compassionate.
Zhoukoudian
A cave system in Beijing, China. It has yielded many archaeological discoveries, including one of the first specimens of Homo erectus. Fire pits were also found here. (700,000 to 500,000 years ago)
Glacial
A cold episode of the Pleistocene, in contrast to a warmer inter- glacial period; also called an ice age large number of cold/warm oscillations in the Pleistocene.
Inference
A conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning
Time Units of the Long Count
A day= 1 kin 20 kin= 1 uinal 18 uinal= 1 tun (approximately solar year) 20 tun= 1 katun 20 katun= 1 baktun 1 baktun= 144,000 days 3 symbols: clam shell (#0), dot (#1), bar (#5) Arranged vertically, with the lowest values at the bottom
Levallois
A distinctive method of stone tool production used during the Middle Paleolithic, in which the core was prepared and flakes removed from the surface before the final tool was detached from the core.
Quipu
A knotted string device used for record keeping. -Remember that Cuzco means emperors new groove
Beringia
A land bridge thought to have connected what are now Siberia and Alaska. Possible way of migration to the Americas.
Acheulean
A major archaeological culture of the Lower Paleolithic; named after the site of St. Acheul in France. A hallmark of the Acheulean is the handaxe.
Avenue of the Dead
A road that stretches for 5 kilometers through the center of Teotihuacan -More temples at Teotihuacan than at any other prehispanic site in the Americas
Tikal, Guatemala
A single dynasty of 39 rulers ruled this city-state over its history. The largest pre-Columbian structure in the Western Hemisphere, Temple IV, is found at this site.
Blade
A special kind of elongated flake with two parallel sides and a length at least twice the width of the piece. The regular manufacture of characterized the Upper Paleolithic, with an efficient way of producing mass quantities of cutting edge.
Ethnoarchaeology
A specialized subfield of archaeology in which the researcher studies a living group of people and how they make, use, and dispose of different kinds of material objects.
Homo sapiens
A species of the hominins who have larger brains and to which humans belong, dependent of language and usage of tools.
Mitmaq
A system of colonization to suppress provincial rebellion by moving people from one part of the empire to another to break up dissident groups
Survey
A systematic search of the landscape for artifacts and sites on the ground through aerial photography, field walking, soil analysis, and geophysical prospecting.
Mousterian
A term describing the stone tool assemblages of the Neanderthals during the Middle Paleolithic, named after the site of Le Moustier in France.
Tzompantli
A type of wooden rack or palisade documented in several Mesoamerican civilizations, which was used for the public display of human skulls, typically those of war captives or other sacrificial victims.
Cultural Adaptation
A uniquely human means of non-biological adaptation based on experience, learning, and use of tools. Allows us to modify and enhance behavior without a change to our biological makeup.
Interglacial
A warm period of the Pleistocene, in contrast to a colder period called a glacial.
Aztec Empire
AD 1325-1521 (doesn't really end in 1521, but marks end of Native, post colonization) - History reconstructed from native texts, Spanish texts, archaeology -People from beyond immediate realm of -Origin of these people in Northern Mexico -Migrated from north central mexico -Trade ancestry and right to rule to earlier Toltecs -Founded the city of Tenochtitlan on an island in ---Lake Texcoco in AD 1325 -Ancient Tenochtitlan lies beneath modern-day Mexico City Triple Alliance (AD 1428) Beginning of Aztec Empire: Texoco Tlacopan Tenochtitlan
Pompeii
AD 79 Structures were preserved due to them being covered by ash
it is allowing them to reconnect with their history after centuries of oppression
According to the movie, how is the decipherment of ancient Maya helping contemporary Maya peoples?
Lower Paleolithic
Acheulean tools were produced during this time.
Bioturbation
Activities of plants and animals in the earth, causing disturbance of archaeological materials.
Solutrean
An Upper Paleolithic stone tool industry in southwestern France and Spain that dates to 22 - 18 kya. Large but thin spear points. Foot or more long. Extreme control carving.
Clovis
An archaeological culture during the Paleoindian period in North America, defined by a distinctive type of fluted point. Earliest recognized Paleoindian period (11-9 kya)
Valley of the Kings
An area were many tombs where built after the great pyramids because it allowed for easier guarding and less grave robbery. On the West Bank of the nile near the site of Thebes.
Australopithecus afarensis
An early australopithecine from East Africa that had a brain size equivalent to a modern chimpanzee's and is thought to be a direct human ancestor. Lived from 3.9 to 2.9 million years ago. Showed signs of bipedalism.
Feature
An immovable structure or layer, pit, or post in the ground having archaeological significance (in practical terms, a feature is something you can't just pick up and take back to the lab).
Ecofact
An unmodified natural item, usually something that is brought to a site by the occupants, that is useful for the study of past human activity.
Llamas and alpacas
Animals, domesticated by the Inca, used for carrying goods, wool, meat, etc.
Artifact
Any object or item created or modified by human action.
Anatomically Modern Humans
Appeared about 200,000 years ago. Had Middle Paleolithic technology. Behaved like Middle Paleolithic hominins. Look like us.
Behaviorally Modern Humans
Appeared about 50 kya, developed more sophisticated technology and more social interactions, appeared during the Upper Paleolithic era.
Monte Albán
Archaeologist Alfonso Caso in a Monte Alban Tomb -Elaborate tombs -Excavated by alfonso caso and colleagues -Note mural paintings -Ballcourt at Monte Alban -Evidence for Militarism in the Rise of the Zapotec State Monte Alban: hilltop location and defensive wall Upside down heads with name glyphs on Building J Carvings of slain captives (danzantes) Danzantes at Monte Alban -Actually carvings of slain and mutilated captives -Reminiscent of arena for political theater -Meant to send a message to leaders
Howard Carter
Archaeologist that discovered King Tut's tomb in November of 1922.
Mary Leaky
Archaeologist who came across the first fossilized Australopithecine footprint.
False
Archaeologists have found that most interactions between hunter-gatherers and incoming agriculturalists in Europe were mostly hostile with lots of warfare and little trading.
Under the fireplace of the deceased person's home with treasures with a large rock placed on chest
Archaeologists have found that the Natufians commonly buried individuals...(where?).
Leaky Family
Archaeologists who made important discoveries about early humans. Published Homo Habilis Olduvai Gorge Excavation Laetoli Footprints Nariokotome Homo Erectus Skeleton.
Louis Leaky
Archeologist that reconstructed, described, and interpreted the fossil remains. Discovered Oldowan remains, fossils of miocene apes.
circular, rectangular
At Jerf el-Ahmar in Syria we see the transition from ________ houses to __________ houses.
Lucy
Australopithecus afarensis. Showed signs of bipedalism. 3.2 million years old.
Tenochtitlán
Aztec capital, Spanish siege
Chichimecs
Barbarians who migrated to the basin of Mexico circa AD 1250 -People from beyond immediate realm of -Origin of these people in Northern Mexico -Migrated from north central mexico
Maya—earliest royal tomb, murals, hieroglyphs (where?)
Before 300 BC-AD 50 (San Bartolo, Guatemala) -oldest royal tomb 150 BC -Las pintura Temple -Oldest Maya Polychrome Murals -Maize God performing bloodletting as autosacrifice: maize god is piercing his genitals with stingray spine? (autosacrifice) -Murals depict the birth of the Maya cosmos from the Popol Vuh -Scarification scenes -Coronation scenes: theme of divine kingship -Monument by Steven has carvings around all four sides -Showing each one of successors all around the altar until we get to current ruler (yashpa) -Political propaganda
From the Middle East through Turkey and into Southern Europe
Between 8,000 and 7,000 years ago, colonizing farmers spread out from the Middle East into...(where?).
Upper Paleolithic Art
Bow and arrow The Atlatl Carved points were often parts of composite tools Harpoons
Temple of the Inscriptions
Built as a funerary monument for Pacal Pacal's crypt and sarcophagus: pacal's ancestors depicted in margins Chest identifies him as maize god Pacal's jade funerary mask and jewelry, eyes of obsidian, and jade ear spools
San José Mogote
Carved stone of sacrifice captive "1 earthquake"
Obsidian
Catalhoyuk is most closely associated with long-distance trade in....
Cavern of the Cats
Cavern in the north section section of Lascaux Cave. Had big cats like saber tooth tigers painted in them.
Lanzón or Great Image
Center of some kind of religious practice, religious cult, approach figure with some type of important question (sepak for Deity)
Ciudadelas
Chan Chan, massive features, burials for families, compound where kings lived became burials 10 at Chan Chan
Staff God
Chavin Style Textile from Karwa Central Figure on Gateway of the Sun at Tiwanaku
Chan Chan
Chimu Capital, Coastal Peru The Chimu empire was rapidly incorporated into the inca empire in the late AD 1400s. This was facilitated by a pre-existing road system that could be linked into the inca road system.
Basin of Mexico
Civilizations of the Basin of Mexico Region- Teotihuacan, Toltecs, Aztecs -Chichimecs ("barbarians") who migrated to this area of Mexico circa AD 1250
Paracas textiles
Civilizations of the Early Horizon Chavin de Huantar/ Style
Tiwanaku
Civilizations of the Middle Horizon (Wari and blank Empires) Relative short in the end Central Figure on Gateway of the Sun at blank Recalls earlier Chavin Staff God Depictions
Ochre
Clay Processing workshop at Blombos Cave, South Africa Make red powder and paint walls of religious structure/bodies and pottery.
San Lorenzo
Colossal Carved Stone Heads Early Ballcourt Monuments defaced in antiquity Matthew and Marion Stirling at San Lorenzo-- Mary recognized early date on the steal? She recognized it dated to first century BC Many of these stone monuments, especially from Blank (depitcing face portraits) were damaged, smashed purposefully? And then ritually buried within a ditch. This does not suggest peaceful end to the end of this community-- perhaps political turmoil? Revolution? Portraits politically defaced. Not uncommon in civilizations How the monuments have been defaced What condition? When they were found? Characterized by political instability: what does this mean?
Civilizations of Andean South America
Controlling non subsistent resources like textiles
Nazca
Culture Coastal Peru-- Cahuachi Site, some of most beautiful ceramic traditions were looted so very few historical context
Petén lowlands
Current evidence indicates maya civilization developed locally in the peten lowlands of Northern Guatemala and adjacent areas, beginning in the Preclassic Period
that a particular syllable (sound) could be represented by multiple different signs
David Stuart's major breakthrough in cracking the Maya code was....
Fire Use
Developed to cook food and keep warm. Used by homo Erectus.
Dorothy Garrod
Discovered natufians
Inti
Divine Rulership: considered to be the Sun God
Oldowan
Earliest (2.6-1.2 m.y.a.) stone tools; sharp flakes struck from cores (choppers). Unifacial.
Coxcatlan Cave
Earliest evidence for domesticated maize
Geoglyphs
Earthen designs on a colossal scale, often created in a landscape as if to be seen from an aerial viewpoint
Tutankhamun
Egyptian pharaoh who ruled from age 7 to 17; his tomb was discovered (nearly untouched) in 1922.
Sacsahuaman
Fortified compound & palace; Royal treasury & arsenal, temple fortress of Cuzco, head of puma
Chavín de Huántar
Found on pottery, stone, metal artifacts throughout highland and coastal regions . Geometric and curvilinear designs with depictions of people, birds, snakes, jaguars. Staff God on Chavin Style Textile from Karwa Center of some kind of religious practice, religious cult, approach figure with some type of important question (sepak for Deity) → Lanzon or great Image Inside the Old Temple Raimondi Was Chavin de Huantar a cult center, and was the spread of Chavin style evidence for the widespread practice of this cult.
Classic Maya inscriptions—subject matter
Found on stone, pottery, paintings, codices Majority of Maya inscriptions date to the Classic period (dating between AD 250-909) and pertain to Maya of peten lowlands Many inscriptions are found on stelae- major themes are politics and dynastic succession of rulers Classic Maya inscriptions use the Long Count to record dates
Maya Stelae
Free standing carved stone monuments, a hallmark of lowland Maya Classic period
Beginning of Holocene
Global warming, rise of sea levels, extinction of megafauna, melting of glaciers
Atapuerca
Gran Dolina, Spain (900 kya) Cave that was home to some of the earliest European hominins. Evidence of cut marks on bones. Intentional burial.
Pachuca obsidian
Green-gold valued for color and purity -Widely traded -Source near Teotihuacan
Aché
Group of indigenous hunters from Paraguay. They are good hunters but do not reach maximum proficiency until the age of 35.
El Mirador
Guatemala Maya Preclassic (300 BC-250 AD) -about 40 miles from nearest road, covered in jungle foliage *Unique in that much Preclassic architecture was not demolished or overbuilt later in Classic times West Group: central acropolis, tigre complex, monos complex Tigre pyramid complex: 180 ft. in height, structure 34, E group, the amount of labor harnessed to construct this E Group: an alignment of structures to mark solstices and equinoxes East Group: danta complex Summer solstice rise on North
Talud-tablero
Hallmark of Teotihuacan temples Found on buildings in ceremonial core of city from Ciudadela north along Avenue of the Dead
Colonization of Europe
Happened when Homo erectus decided to leave Africa in search of game.
Nariokotome
Homo erectus skeleton found in Lake Turkana, Kenya. About 1.6 myo. Body of a 12 year old boy. Excavated by Richard Leakey and Kamoya Kimen.
Sima de los Huesos
Homo heidelbergensis, pit of bones, found in spain, 200-300 kya.
he thought he saw elephants and influence from India in the glyphs
How did French artist Jean-Frederick Waldeck badly misinterpret the glyphs at Palenque?
it revealed that ancient Maya society was more prone to warfare and violence than scholars once believed
How did the decipherment of ancient Maya writing change scholars' views about the nature of ancient Maya society?
establish summer and winter base camps surrounded by special-purpose sites
Hunter-gatherers practicing a collector strategy tend to....
logographic (based on signs for whole words)
If an unknown script has several hundred signs, it is probably....
Inca Empire—roads, economy, ruler, tribute
Important Environmental Zones: Desert Coast High Grassland Plateau (Puna) Eastern Slopes (Montana) Agriculture: maize, beans, squash, potatoes, cotton, others Pastoralism: llama, and alpaca
Neanderthals
In Europe, another human species lived and adapted to life in the cold climates of the last Ice Age. First to hunt in groups, care for sick, and have burial rituals.
Machu Picchu
Inca Royal Estate (Built by Pikachu) "Hitchingpost of the Sun" Intihuatana at Machu Picchu
Lake Titicaca
Inca Traced their Ancestry to Lake Titicaca Region and Drew on Tiwanaku as symbol of power
Mit'a
Inca labor tax to complete construction tasks and other state projects
Puna
Incan High Grassland Plateau
Earliest stone tools
Kada Gona in Ethiopia. Oldowan tools and flakes were found, non stone tools: animal bones, horn and wood. 2.6 mya.
Jericho
Kathleen Kenyon's excavations uncovered a large stone tower, a massive stone wall, and a deep ditch
carrying capacity
Largest number of individuals of a population that a environment can support
Inca
Late 1400s largest empire anywhere in the world
Catalhoyuk
Late Neolithic tell in Turkey
Population Pressure Hypothesis
Lewis Binford's theory that population increase in Southwest Asia upset the balance between people and food, forcing people to turn to agriculture as a way to produce more food. Based on carrying capacity.
Laetoli
Location in Tanzania where tracks of australopithecine footprints were found showing that australopithecines walked upright. 3.6 million years ago discovered by Mary Leakey.
Chicha
Maize Beer
Chac mool
Maya rain God that uses a lightning axe to strike the clouds and produce thunder and rain -head facing 90 degrees from the front, supporting itself on its elbows and supporting a bowl or a disk upon its stomach
San Bartolo
Maya site where oldest known Maya Hieroglyphics 100 BC or earlier (300-200 BC?) were found
Palenque
Mayan city-state -Smaller than Tikal
Chichén Itzá
Mexico (Northern Yucatan) Maya Preclassic -Cenote
Cahokia
Mississippian site with earthen pyramids in Illinois
Modern Human Diaspora
Modern human spread. Global colonization, technology, and symbolic communication Span of upper paleolithic, humans populated everywhere habitable. From Africa to a globally distributed species.
Multiregional Theory
Modern humans evolved in many parts of the Earth from regional descendants of Homo erectus who migrated from Africa.
Moundville
More than 3,000 burials were excavated at this Mississippian site in Alabama, providing evidence for a social hierarchy of eight different social classes ruled by chiefs who were buried with rare copper axes
La Chapelle-aux-Saints
Neanderthal burial site. Located in France. Skeleton of 50 year old Neanderthal with severe arthritis.
archaic
New world, Americas
Inca—did they have writing?
No
Teotihuacán
No expensive written inscriptions (at all) Power begins to wane in AD 600s (reasons unknown) Impact of decline probably fell throughout MesoAmerica (ex. Maya region) AD 600-700s main public buildings purposefully burned
Teotihuacán—evidence for rulers?
No royal tombs No record/depiction of any specific ruler Costumes and insignia emphasized over personal features (office more important than the office holders)
Were Mayan cities vacant ceremonial centers?
No.
Stone-tool Industries
Oldowan Industry Acheulean Industry Mousterian Industry Perigordian and Aurignacian Industry Solutrean Industry
Formative period
Olmec Civilization of the lowland gulf coast of Mexico -One of the most ancient Mesoamerican civilizations -Olmec culture contained the seeds of later hallmarks of Mesoamerican civilization -Ballgame -Hieroglyphic writing -Calendar (with date on it; series of bars and dots
Colossal carved stone heads
Olmec monumental art in San Lorenzo -Note headgear-- protective wear, perhaps worn in combat against violence and conflict, OR worn while playing the ball game -ruler portraits? Important individuals nonetheless -10 ft tall
twin brothers who play a ballgame against the lords of the underworld
One important myth repeatedly painted on Maya vases involves....
Skhul Cave
One of the Middle Paleolithic sites in Israel where modern human skeletons have been found.
Qafzeh Cave
One of the sites in Israel where modern human skeletons were found in a Middle Paleolithic context.
Quirigua
One of this city-state's rulers, Cauac Sky, defeated and sacrified ruler 18 Rabbit of Copan, winning independence from Copan. The largest known carved Maya stela is found at this site.
barley, lentils, sheep
Originally domesticated in Southwest Asia
Cave Paintings
Paintings during the Upper Paleolithic era
Pacal
Palenque ruler A.D. 615 Palenque, Mexico Maya Classic built as Pacal's jade funerary mask and jewelry, eyes of obsidian, and jade ear spools
"Venus" Figurines
Paleolithic carvings of the female form, often with exaggerated breasts, buttocks, hips, and stomachs, which may have had religious significance or significance to fertility. Willendorf, Austria.
Hunter-gatherers
People who hunt animals and gather wild plants, seeds, fruits, and nuts to survive
Paleoindian
Period in the Eastern Woodlands of North America where maize was cultivated intensively
Plio-Pleistocene
Pertaining to the Pliocene and first half of the Pleistocene, a time range of 5-1 mya. For this time period, numerous fossil hominins have been found in Africa.
Magdalenian
Pertaining to the final phase of the Upper Paleolithic stone tool industry in Europe. 18 - 10 kya.
John L. Stephens and Frederick Catherwood
Published a book-- "Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan" (1841)
Chimú Empire
Rapidly incorporated into the inca empire in the late AD 1400s. This was facilitated by a pre-existing road system that could be linked into the inca road system
Long Count Dates
Record time elapsed from start-date set at 3114 BC Expressed in time units representing multiples of 20 Earliest Long Count dates come from outside the Maya region (Stela C at Olmec site Tres Zapotes)
"Curl Nose" and "Stormy Sky"
Ruled by Tikal in the Early Classic -Had far-reaching power and erected numerous monuments -May have controlled other Mayan cities -May have derived power from a connection with Teotihuacan in Highland Mexico -Teotihuacan style ceramic from tomb of Curl ----- -Nose depicts Mexican deity Tlaloc - outside connections -Tikal Stela 31 - Tikal Ruler "Stormy Sky"
Matthew and Marion Stirling
San Lorenzo
Cutmarks
Scratches and cuts on bone indicating the use of stone tools for butchering.
Sípan—royal tombs
Sipan Site, Moche Culture, Coastal Peru (Adobe Pyramid, eroded) Burial of Moche Ruler at Sipan
Lomekwi 3 site
Site where old stone tools that date back to 3.3 mya were found. Found in West Turkana, Kenya.
Archaeozoology
Sometimes referred to as zooarchaeology, this involves the identification and analysis of faunal species from archaeological sites, as an aid to the reconstruction of human diets and to an understanding of the contemporary environment at the time of deposition.
Cuzco
Spanish Church of Santo Domingo Superimposed on the Remains of the Qoricancha, or Inca Temple of the Sun
Chavín style
Staff God on Chavin Style Textile from Karwa
Epigraphy
Study of inscriptions (scholars who study inscriptions are epigraphers)
Tikal
Suffered military defeat by Caracol and began to lose power in A.D. 500s Erected no monuments between A.D. 534-692 Experienced rebirth in A.D. 700s (construction of major temples and acropolis structures) Declined and collapsed in late A.D. 700s-900
Looting
Systematic looting of sites has been a major problem since the time of the Spanish conquest -Loss of context of artifacts is just one of many negative impacts
Triple Alliance
Texoco Tlacopan Tenochtitlan
Sediment
The "dirt" or deposits in which a site and its materials are buried. Sediments can be natural or introduced by people.
Tawantinsuyu
The Late Horizon: The Inca Empire- blank "Land of the Four Corners"
Mesolithic
The Middle Stone Age of Europe, Asia, and Africa beginning about 12,000 years ago
Tula
The capital city of the Toltec; when it was destroyed, the civilization ended
Holocene
The current interglaciation period, extending from 10,000 years ago to the present on the geologic time scale.
Caral and El Paraíso
The earliest complex societies in Andean South America appeared circa 3000-2500 BC (preceramic period) in the desert coast region of Peru -Monumental public architecture -Diet: marine foods, land animals, wild and domestic plants (squash, beans, tubers)
Excavation
The exposure and recording of buried materials from the past.
Anthropology
The holistic study of humanity, of how human beings behave and how that behavior has evolved.
Bipedalism
The human method of lo- comotion, walking on two legs; one of the first human characteristics to distinguish the early hominins.
Schoningen
The location in Germany where 400,000-year-old wooden spears were discovered. Weight distribution similar to throwing javelines. Fire pits and controlled use of fire found.
Middle Paleolithic
The middle part of the Old Stone Age, associated with Mousterian tools, which Neanderthals produced using the Levallois technique.
Handaxe
The most dominant tool in the Acheulian complex, characterized by a sharp edge for both cutting and scraping. Bifacial.
Paleoindian
The period of large-game hunters in North America at the end of the Pleistocene. Paleoindian remains are characterized by the presence of fluted points and frequently the bones of extinct animals.
Fieldwork
The search for archaeological sites in the landscape through surveys and excavations.
Fertile Crescent
The upland zone that runs from the Levant to the Zagros Mountains is called the....
teosinte
The wild ancestor of maize.
Bonampak
This Maya city-state's name means "painted walls" in Maya. It is known for its well-preserved, multi-color painted murals.
Uaxactun
This city-state's name means "eight-stone" in Maya. Important work on the lowland Maya chronology has been done at this site. Additionally, the site has a building used to mark the solstices and equinoxes.
rachis
This portion of the wheat plant lost its natural brittleness as a result of domestication:
Templo Mayor
Tlaloc: rain god Huitzilopochtli: war god Twin temples dedicated to Tlaloc and Huitzilopochtli Party destroyed in spanish conquest Rebuilt multiple times by adding Disc with image of coyolxauhqui (discovered in 1978)
Perigordian
Upper Paleolithic culture of western Europe dating 33 - 22 kya.
Aurignacian
Upper Paleolithic stone tool industry in Europe beginning at 36 to 22 kya
Inca stone masonry
Used in Public Buildings and Elite Residences Stones variable in size/shape, sometimes massively large Stones precisely shaped, no mortar necessary Exterior faces plain High quality workmanship, still standing
Mobile hunter-gatherers
Used the first domesticated plants (mesoamerica)
Mesolithic/Archaic sites
Vedbaek, Vaenget Nord, and Carrier Mills are examples of....
Scavenging
What Homo erectus used to do. Tool marks on bones come second. Animal killed first. Associated with homo Habilis.
he was the first to create high-quality photographs of the glyphs
What breakthrough did Alfred Maudslay introduce to the study of Maya glyphs in the 1880s?
She found the body of a man buried 12k years ago, curled up. Natufians
What did Dorothy Garrod discover in the caves of Mt. Carmel, Israel in the 1920s?
A puppy
What did archaeologists find along with the burial of a woman at 'Ain Mallaha in Israel?
They began to systematically clear the forest.
What did the incoming farmers from the Middle East do to dramatically change the landscape in Europe?
Store large amounts of grain or hold ceremonies (answer all the above)
What do archaeologists believe the large building they found at Jerf el-Ahmar, in Syria, was used for?
The glaciers returned to Europe and got colder and drier and created famine.
What do archaeologists think forced Natufians to go back to a nomadic way of life?
a human hand grasping a fish
What is depicted in the glyph for "conjure"?
The seeds were bigger than wild varieties and mimicking natural selection
What is important about the seeds archaeologists found at the site of Zaid 2 near the Dead Sea?
Since they are too heavy to carry around, they are beginning to settle near their own food supply
What is significant about the large size and weight of the mortars and pestles found at Natufian sites?
Lord Shield
What is the name of the important figure discovered in the glyphs at Palenque by Linda Schele and Peter Mathews?
caused large numbers of Maya books to be burned
What role did Diego de Landa play in the history of Maya writing?
The plow
What was a European invention to help cultivate land in more northern, colder climates with poorer soils?
Wool
What was considered to be an elite status item that many Bronze Age important individuals in Europe were buried wearing?
the burial chamber of a ruler later identified as Lord Shield
What was found below Palenque's Temple of the Inscriptions in 1948?
headless skeleton of a girl
What was found buried in the large circular structure at Jerf el-Ahmar under burned rubble?
Copper
What was the first smelted metal found in southern Jordan?
dots and bars representing numbers
What was the first type of Maya glyph to be deciphered?
Tokens slapped together in clay
What was the very first method of accounting for trade?
Bronze weapons, decorated metal jewelry, mounted horse
What were the power symbols of elites in Europe?
5,500 years ago
When was the wheel invented?
Codex (codices)
Where Mayan inscriptions are found
Lake Texcoco
Where the city of Tenochtitlan was founded in AD 1325
between the highlands of Guatemala and the plains of the Yucatan
Where was the heart of the ancient Maya civilization located?
Moche
Which civilization is known for producing ceramic effigy vessels depicting overly sexual themes?
Permanent villages
Which of the following came first in Southwest Asia?
he concluded that Maya glyphs were largely concerned with marking the passage of time
Which of the following is a true statement about J. Eric Thompson's contributions to Maya studies?
To preserve facial features of the dead ( the answer is all the above)
Which of the following is true about plaster used during the Neolithic?
Religion and the gods demand it
Which of the following was used to encourage and mobilize people to work together to build irrigation canals?
Tatiana Proskouriakoff
Who was the first to hypothesize that series of Maya stelae set up in front of temples were telling the life stories of rulers and the histories of royal dynasties?
to call forth visions of ancestors out of the smoke
Why did the ancient Maya burn slips of paper soaked in their own blood, as depicted for example in a carving discussed in the movie?
scribes employed alternate versions of signs and often combined them in new ways
Why is the Maya writing system so complex?
Maya
a civilization of the Peten Lowlands of Northern Guatemala and Adjacent Areas -Classical Maya civilization collapsed between AD 750-900
Zapotec
a civilization of the highland valley of Oaxaca The Zapotec State Peak (200 BC- AD 300) Pre classic Period
Olmec
a formative period civilization of the lowland gulf coast of Mexico -One of the most ancient Mesoamerican civilizations -Contained the seeds of later hallmarks of Mesoamerican civilization 1. Ballgame 2. Hieroglyphic writing 3. Calendar (with date on it; series of bars and dots "rubber people"-
midden
a garbage mound left by prehistoric people
Olduvai Gorge
a gorge in northeastern Tanzania where anthropologists have found some of the earliest human remains. 1.8 to 1.2 may. Excavated by Mary Leakey.
tell
a mound composed of mud bricks and refuse, accumulated as a result of human activity
ascribed status
a position an individual either inherits at birth or receives involuntarily later in life
Neander Valley
a site in Germany where the original Neanderthal speciman was found in 1856; the bones were discovered in clay deposits that were removed from a limestone cave.
achieved status
a social position a person takes on voluntarily that reflects personal ability and effort
Kennewick
a turning point; controversial site/skeleton 90% complete skeleton Skeleton was a muscular male with arthritis and lots of injuries. Found in Washington.
William L. Rathje
an archeologist, founder of the garbage project.
Horizontal Excavation
an excavation for which the goal is to excavate a broad area in order to expose the remains of a single point in time
Southern Cult
associated with trade items bearing motifs such as the eye-in-hand, sunburst, weeping eye, skull-and-bones, and trophy heads
Context
association and relationships between archaeological objects that are in the same place.
Danzantes
at Monte Alban -Actually carvings of slain and mutilated captives -Arena for political theater -Meant to send a message to leaders
Postglacial foragers
ate a broad range of foods
1 Earthquake
calendrical reference
domestication
change in physical characteristics of wild species resulting from human manipulations
Squash
earliest domesticated plant in Mesoamerica, dating to around 8,000 B.C., may have been valued for its use as a container
Neolithic
early farming peoples who lived in permanent villages, who used pottery and polished stone tools, and who kept domesticated plants and animals
Cahokia
evidence for intensive maize agriculture, large plaza, earthen mounds, human sacrifices
Richard Leaky
found H. erectus skeleton in 1984 in Kenya the Turkana boy, it is the most complete hominin skeleton. Son of Mary and Louis.
Maize, beans, and squash are considered to be complementary because...
growing them together provides natural fertilizer and conserves moisture, when eaten together they provide a balanced diet, beans provide the amino acids that maize is missing
Valley of Oaxaca
highland for Zapotec civilization research part of Kent Flannery: San Jose Mogote Monte Alban
Earliest hominins outside of Africa
homo erectus in Asia and Europe.
Hominin
humans and humanlike ancestors.
Pachakuti
inca ruler who began to consolidate the inca empire through military campaigns circa AD 1440
Brain Size
increases with more advanced techniques of predation. More hunting skills means more energy to provide for brains which means bigger brains.
Monks Mound
is a platform mound
Midden
is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, human excrement, botanical material, shells, sherds, lithics, and other artifacts and ecofacts associated with past human occupation.
maize bad
lack of amino acids
Stratigraphy
layers, of natural sediments and human deposits reveals how the site was formed and how materials accumulated.
'Ain Mallaha
located in Northern Israel next to a lake and lacustrine resources were also exploited (turtles, fish, shellfish). Natufian site
Pyramids of the Sun and Moon
looking south you can see pyramid of the sun and avenue of the dead
Consequences of Agriculture
more hierarchical societies, population growth, worse dental health, children weaned earlier, decreased mobility
plastered skulls
most closely associated with Early Neolithic period ritual in Southwest Asia. Represent dead ancestors.
where to find Maya hieroglyphs
painted on pottery carved on objects written in bark-paper books carved on monuments
Horizons
periods of greater political integration and widespread artifact styles a common artifact style shared broadly across a region
intermediate periods
periods of political fragmentation and many local artifact styles
Provenience
place of origin for archaeological materials, including location, association, and context; implies context, meaning that there is additional information available about the object of interest.
bulls
prominent symbol at Catalhoyuk
Guila Naquitz Cave
site in Mexico was excavated by Kent Flannery and yielded some of the earliest evidence for use of domesticated plants in Mesoamerica
Abu Hureyra
site in Syria where evidence has been found for early use of domesticated plants
Tribute
something done or given to show thanks or respect; a payment
Atlatl
spearthrower, or wooden shaft, used to propel a spear or dart; first appeared in the Upper Paleolithic and also was used in the precontact Americas.
Sarcophagus
stone coffin where pacal's ancestors depicted in margins
Oasis Hypothesis
suggested a circumstance in which plants, animals, and humans would have clustered in confined areas near water. Concerns agriculture.
Pastoralism
the domestication of animals or animal herding. Not present in Mississippian societies
Vertical Excavation
the excavation of deep, but relatively narrow, units, usually employed to identify the stratigraphy and artifact contents of a site.
Culture
the means of human adaptation based on experience, learning, and the use of tools.
Prehistory
the period of time before written records
Archaeology
the study of human history and prehistory through the excavation of sites and the analysis of artifacts and other physical remains.
Out of Africa Theory
theory that Africa is the birthplace for all human species; humans migrate from Africa towards other areas of the world around 1.5 million years ago.
NOT true of postglacial foragers
they typically hunted ice-age megafauna such as mammoth and mastodon
NOT true of Natufians
they were farmers growing domesticated plants
maize, beans, squash
three sisters
Geological Epochs
•Paleocene (~65 mya) •Eocene (~56 mya) •Oligocene (~34 mya) •Miocene (~23 mya) ---These are the periods of major primate evolution •Pliocene (~5 mya) •Pleistocene (~2.5 mya-10 kya) ----These are the periods of hominine evolution •Holocene (~10 kya) ----Too recent—not for us