Archaeology Exam 1 Answers

Anthropology is concerned with all aspects of humanity and therefore employs an all-encompassing holistic approach that, in America, is made up of four subfields: cultural anthropology, biological anthropology, classical archaeology, and archaeology.

False

As demonstrated by the Chaco Canyon example, it is only possible to fully characterize the nature of an archaeological landscape (in terms of proportion and distribution of site types) by surveying 100% of its area.

False

In the early 19th century, archaeology focused on the precise collection of data through controlled excavations.

False

H. Marie Wormington's book, Ancient Man in North America was not only important because it was written for the general public, but also for:

Illustrating the growing maturity in the field of archaeology over time through its four editions

Culture, as anthropologists understand it, is an integrated set of beliefs, customs, and traditions whose characteristics include all of the following EXCEPT:

It is genetic.

A paradigm is like an archaeologist's culture in that it provides the perspective from which we approach both the collection and interpretation of data.

True

A sample universe is a region that contains all possible sites that could be included in a statistical sample.

True

Any condition that limits water and oxygen promotes the preservation of organic materials.

True

Context is the relationship of an artifact, ecofact, or feature to other artifacts, ecofacts, features, and layers of earth in a site.

True

If you were excavating a site near a river, and the site's very clayey and sticky sediments contained many small artifacts, you would probably use water-screening as one of your recovery techniques

True

It's not what you find that is important, but rather what you find out.

True

Many archaeologists argue that the most important thing about an artifact is its provenience and context.

True

Saying archaeologists "think from things" means they contribute to anthropology through the systematic recovery, analysis and interpretation of ancient material remains

True

Science prides itself on being both self-critical and open to scrutiny

True

The antiquity of humans was determined by the discovery of stone tools, such as handaxes, in association with the bones of extinct animals in France.

True

The ideational perspective focuses on ideas, symbols or mental structures as the driving force in shaping human behavior

True

When environmental variation occurs in a survey region, archaeologists might use stratified random sampling.

True

A total station (or EDM) is:

a device that records provenience accurately using a prism and a beam of light.

Hypothesis testing in science consists of:

attempting to prove your idea wrong.

The Flotation technique is used to retrieve:

carbonized plant remains.

A fire hearth (the hearth itself, not anything that might be found within it) is an example of what archaeologists call a(n):

feature.

As a primary architect of processual archaeology, Lewis Binford argued that American archaeology as a discipline should more closely align itself with the practices and theory of:

science.

A magnetometer helps locate buried archaeology by measuring:

solid buried features, such as walls and buried features where the background sediment is "clean," such as sand.

The first professional archaeologist, Jens Jacob Asmussen Worsaae is remembered for:

the idea that an artifact's context is important to its interpretation.

A datum, used in excavation, is:

the point from which all measurements are made, in three dimensions.

One undertakes test excavations for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:

to quickly recover the maximum number of artifacts.

Middle-level theory attempts to link the material culture found in the archaeological record with the behaviors/forces that produced them through which of the following:

All of the above

Why are artifacts recovered from the plow zone not as useful to archaeologists than artifacts recovered from excavation?

Artifacts recovered from a plow zone have lost their spatial context, masking their association to other features/artifacts, and context is what matters.

If you were excavating a buried house that a test excavation told you contained a high density of discarded artifacts you would probably use a backhoe to speed up artifact recovery

False

In order to avoid destroying artifacts at the site of Ozette, archaeologists used a system of pressurized hoses, such as fire hoses, to clean the excavation equipment of mud.

False

Low-level archaeological theory, which focuses on observations about artifacts and their contexts, is a simple, unimportant part of the process of archaeological analysis

False

Most archaeologists today would use some sort of judgment sample since the goal of survey is to find the site that will provide the most artifacts.

False

Often it is only necessary to excavate a single site to understand the entire settlement system.

False

Processual Archaeology emphasizes the role of individuals in understanding the paths that cultures take in their development over time and downplays the search for universals in human behavior

False

LIDAR is best at mapping:

Features hidden under dense tree canopies such as Maya ruins.

The first archaeologist to excavate a village site in Egypt and display an interest in the everyday life of ancient peoples (as opposed to recovering treasures from tombs) was:

Gertrude Caton-Thompson

In what way did Thomas Jefferson contribute to the field of archaeology?

He tested the Moundbuilder hypothesis by systematically excavating a burial mound on his property, demonstrating the mound was for burials, not war.

What did the analysis of Otzi's remains reveal to researchers studying his body?

He was so well preserved that the amount of data recovered revealed how he died as well as what he had eaten in the 24 hours before he died.

The ultimate goal of archaeology is to answer the "why" questions about human behavior, e.g., about the development of agriculture, or the nature of humanity. This kind of thinking is characterized as:

High-level theory.

Why was Gertrude Caton-Thompson's conclusion about the origins of the archaeological site of Great Zimbabwe upsetting to many Europeans?

It argued that Great Zimbabwe was of African Origin, and therefore unsupportive of colonial rule of southern Africa

The difference between arbitrary and natural levels is:

Natural levels are defined by characteristics of the sediments.

Which of the following is not a method/instrument of remote sensing?

Shovel Testing

Which remote sensing technique measures differences in how easily soil conducts electricity?

Soil resistivity.

Alfred Vincent Kidder is best known for founding which fundamental archaeological technique?

Stratigraphic excavation

Why did religious dogma not allow for ancient human antiquity as proposed by Jacques Boucher de Crevecoeur de Perthes?

The church was convinced that the earth was created in 4004 BC.

What was "the rape of the Nile"?

The pilfering of valuable Egyptian artifacts by European countries.

You are working at the summer field school and during excavation you spot an artifact. Excited, you snatch the artifact from the ground and sprint over to Alex to show him. Why are Alex and Bob upset with you for doing so?

The provenience and context of that artifact has been lost.

Archaeology is often tied up in political and social issues that can bias conclusions and affect archaeologists' ability to undertake sound research, as evidenced by the controversy over the site of Great Zimbabwe

True

Which of the following is the major difference between CRM (Cultural Resource Management) archaeologists and University-based archaeologists?

University based archaeologists are primarily responsible for conducting original research and teaching while CRM archaeologists are primarily responsible for making sure companies adhere to Federal and other laws, regulations, and statutes.