archeology test 2
canalization
the formation of canals
Pompeii
a vast archaeological site located in southern Italy's Campania region. Once a thriving and sophisticated Roman city, Pompeii was buried in meters of ash and pumice after the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Near the coast of the Bay of Naples, the well-preserved site features excavated ruins that visitors can freely explore
The Great Wall
a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, and other materials, generally built along an east-to-west line across the historical northern borders of China to protect the Chinese states and empires against the raids and invasions of the various nomadic groups of the Eurasian Steppe
Lararium
a shrine for the Lares (guardian deities in ancient Roman religion)
Cahokia
"the largest prehistoric community north of Mexico", largest Mississippian center, established on the east bank of the Mississippi in Illinois, humanmade mounds, is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, central part is protected, but each year the expansion of subdivisions and highways continues to destroy outlying portions, the complexity of the Mound 72 burial sequence, the sacrifices, and the grave goods document elaborate burial ceremonialism and marked so-called differentiation at Cahokia
San Jose Mogote
"a 3500-year-old community in Mexico's Southern Highlands", Mesoamerican, oldest pottery using community in the Valley of Oaxaca, grew to be the largest and most important of the 25 villages in the Valley, precious stones: obsidian and magnetite, Ebb and floe of settlement: private houses burying public buildings, the site enters the Zapotec state
Tikal
"a Maya city in the rain forest of Guatemala", absorbed smaller city states, replaced El Mirador as the most powerful city of the Peten region, became political giant of Early Classical Period, earliest monumental architecture in the Late Preclassic Period, slash and burn agriculture, Great Plaza, North Acropolis, Temple 1 and Temple 2, Central Acropolis, Temple of the Great Jaguar
Snaketown
"a desert village in the American southwest" (ditto to Sonoran Desert), Hohokam community in the Phoenix Basin, where southern Arizona's two major rivers (the Salt and the Gilla) come together, used river for irrigation, largest of early Hohokam pithouse villages, maize, grew in size gaining ballcourts and platform mounds, specialized in ceramics, elaborate objects of shell and stone
Monte Alban
"a hilltop city in the Valley of Oaxaca", inhabited over a period of 1,500 years by a succession of peoples - Olmecs, Zapotecs and Mixtecs - the terraces, dams, canals, pyramids and artificial mounds of Monte Albán were literally carved out of the mountain and are the symbols of a sacred topography, monumental architecture: city walls, and urban sprawl, from waddle and daub structures to adobe houses, new forms of ceramics: incensario
An-Yang
"a late Shang city in China", the last capital of the Shang period, clearly defined ceremonial core, inhabited by a royal household, and a series of nonresidential buildings
Chaco Canyon
"a prehistoric regional center in the American Southwest", shallow 10-mile formation carved from ancient sea beds, building of the first pit houses and development of sophisticated villages, kivas, very high - accessible through ropes and rock climbing, cliff dwellings and pueblos, adobe structures, stone masonry, second-stories
Poverty Point
"ancient earthworks in southeastern North America" in Northeastern Louisiana, a prehistoric earthworks of the Poverty Point culture, now a U.S. National Monument and World Heritage Site, a set of 6 concentric earthen ridges that form a large semicircle, ridgetops used as living surfaces, hunting, fishing gathering, small presence of ceramics
Mycenae
"fortress of the warrior-kings of Bronze Age Greece", best known for its citadels which were fortified palace towns, located on high, defensible points on the landscape, early rulers of these were buried in shaft graves, straight-sided pits 6-8 m deep, cut into the soft rock of their hilltop settlement, grave goods are among the most spectacular finds from the Bronze Age
Moche
"giant pyramids on Peru's north coast", largest settlement on north coast of Peru, Mochica tradition, dominated by 2 major pyramids or huacas: the Huaca del Sol, one of the largest most massive adobe structures ever built in the Americas, and the Huaca de la Luna
Teotihuacan
"one of the world's largest cities in AD 500", largest city of Central America in the pre-Columbian, the most important and largest city of pre-Aztec central Mexico, located in the Valley of Mexico, a highland basin on the Mexican plateau centered on the "Lake of the moon", built by Olmec refugees who fled the eruption of the volcano Xitle, construction of canals, Avenue of the Dead, Pyramid of the Sun and the Moon, large basin, obsidian trade
Hopewell
"prehistoric artisans and mound builders" located in the midwest, native cultigens became increasingly important, but food production did not completely replace hunting-and-gathering economies, Maize from the southwest, adoption of mounded sites, earthen features as sacred enclosures/burial mounds, cremations and social distinctions, complex trade network- Hopewell Interaction Sphere
Chichen Itza
"the most magnificent late Maya center in Yucatan", controls trade network, tons of salt traded for precious goods, a rugged place of soaring pyramids, massive temples, startling carved columns and do-or-die sports fields, focal point of the region, an amalgam of an older Mayan city and newer Toltec settlement, is the towering Castillo pyramid, which is fraught with cosmological symbolism, myths of creation, heiroglyphs, art is "international"
Knossos
"the mythical halls of the Minotaur on the island of Crete", extensive group of ruins, buried under a low mound of soil and collapsed walls, first Bronze Age palace was erected around 3000 BC, a series of palaces were built one on top of another, each larger and more elaborate- centers of the Minoan state, very complex
Zhou dynasty
(1046-256 BCE) was the longest-lasting of China's dynasties. It followed the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BCE) and it finished when the army of the state of Qin captured the city of Chengzhou in 256 BCE
Xia dynasty
(c. 2070 - c. 1600 BC) is the first dynasty in traditional Chinese history
Shang dynasty
(c.1600-1046 BCE) was the second dynasty of China which succeeded the Xia Dynasty (c. 2700-1600 BCE) after the overthrow of the Xia tyrant Jie by the Shang leader, Tang
amphitheater
(especially in Greek and Roman architecture) a round or oval building, typically unroofed, with a central space for the presentation of dramatic or sporting events. Tiers of seats for spectators surround the central space
Ban-po-t'sun
-an archaeological site discovered in 1953 and located in the Yellow River Valley just east of Xi'an, China. It contains the remains of several well organized Neolithic settlements -100 houses, defense ditch, burial customs -associated with Yangshao culture
Maya writing system
-four different prehispanic Mesoamerican writing systems are known: Maya, Zapotec, Mixtec, Aztec -Maya is recorded on stone, folding books, potter, wall paintings -pictographic= symbol that portrays the object it represents -ideographic= symbol that represents an abstract idea -syllabary of phonetic symbols
organization of production in Chaco Canyon
-largely agree that it is a corporate organization that hosted large ceremonial events focused on construction of the great houses -Earle: production of goods here was a part of a system of staple finance for these events -Renfrew: less formal system of support -differ on "chiefdom" -agreement that the production of ceramics, chipped stone, and even turquoise occurred at the household level, although some households may have specialized in the production of ceramics or turquoise -residents who lived in the Chuska Mountains may have provided timber for roof beams -little evidence that objects brought from great distances were a major source of wealth or power -ceremonial importance of great houses -turquoise, projectile points, and unusual ceramic vessels, as well as agricultural products were a significant part of the communal events that resulted in the construction of the great houses and facilitated interaction among the people in this large area
UNESCO world heritage sites
A World Heritage Site is a landmark which has been officially recognized by the United Nations, specifically by UNESCO. Sites are selected on the basis of having cultural, historical, scientific or some other form of significance, and they are legally protected by international treaties
Paracas
Andean society, pit houses, shaft cemetery filled with wrapped mummies, often with many beautiful textiles made on loom, shafts under pit houses, filled with mummies covered with rocks, long tradition of mummies, dead kept in spaces of the living-ancestor worship, deformed skulls, textiles as visual communication for ritual imagery, similar to Chavin imagery, gold and copper found w mummies, head hunting
Athens
Athens Acropolis- is an ancient citadel located on an extremely rocky outcrop above the city of Athens and contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historic significance, the most famous being the Parthenon -Athens was one of the most important and powerful cities in Greece during the Classical period. It was also the first of the Greek city states fully to develop democracy
El Mirador
El Mirador is a large pre-Columbian Maya settlement, located in the north of the modern department of El Petén, Guatemala, pyramids hidden in the jungle, called lost city of the Maya
Mayan calendars
Maya formulated time into a series of calendrical and astronomical cycles (could predict lunar and solar eclipses as well as the movements of the planets with great accuracy) -260 day calendar "almanac" = pattern for ceremonial life -365 day "Haab" calendar= pattern for seasons and agriculture
the archeology of sustainability
Mesoamerica- Maya lowlands' wetland reclamation and "resourse-specialized communities" characterized a highly successful adaption to their biophysical and social environments and provide a nuanced assessment of resilience and complexity through a labortasking economic logic
end of Mycenean
The Dorian invasion has been accepted commonly as the cause of the collapse of Mycenean civilization. But recently this hypothesis has come under strong attack. Among other alternatives proposed is the possibility that this collapse was part of a general breakdown of society which took place not only in the Aegean but throughout the ancient Near East as well. The cause of this decline was not an invasion of outsiders but a series of catastrophic droughts, followed by economic collapse and social chaos.
Mogollon
The Mogollon Culture evolved in the southwestern corner of New Mexico and extended along the Mogollon Rim into east-central and southeast Arizona and southward into the Chihuahua region of northern Mexico
The Silk Road
The Silk Road or Silk Route was an ancient network of trade routes that for centuries were central to cultural interaction through regions of the Asian continent connecting the East and West from China to the Mediterranean Sea
Xianyang
a Chinese city that was the capital of China in the Qin dynasty, magnificent public buildings and palaces were erected, and some 120,000 households were moved from their homes elsewhere to populate the capital by Shihuangdi, east of Xianyang Terracotta soldiers were found
Uluburn shipwreck
a Late Bronze Age shipwreck dated to the late 14th century BC,[1] discovered close to the east shore of Uluburun (Grand Cape), and about 6 miles southeast of Kaş, in south-western Turkey, contained jewelry, gold, silver, weapons and tools (swords, arrowheads), copper and tin ingots
Sonoran desert
a North American desert which covers large parts of the Southwestern United States in Arizona and California, and of Northwestern Mexico in Sonora, Baja California and Baja California Sur, may have descended from an earlier hunting and gathering "archaic" culture, hot weather means less wild plants and animals, domesticated corn from Mesoamerica was introduced, farmers used water from mountain run-offs and rivers to irrigate their fields, pottery called "red-on-buff", Hohokam culture, "wattle and daub" houses, ball courts 3 platform mounds
wattle and daub
a building technique that uses a framework of poles, interespersed with smaller poles and twigs; the wooden frame is plastered with mud or a mud mixture, this building technique was employed in the Southeast and other parts of the world
Kiva
a chamber, built wholly or partly underground, used by male Pueblo Indians for religious rites
Cuzco
a city in the Peruvian Andes, was once capital of the Inca Empire, and is now known for its archaeological remains and Spanish colonial architecture. Plaza de Armas is the central square in the old city, with arcades, carved wooden balconies and Incan wall ruins. The baroque Santo Domingo Convent was built on top of the Incan Temple of the Sun (Qoricancha), and has archaeological remains of Inca stonework, Temple of the Sun
Terracotta Army
a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China
palisade
a fence of wooden stakes or iron railings fixed in the ground, forming an enclosure or defense
the Parthenon
a former temple, on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their patron. Construction began in 447 BC when the Athenian Empire was at the peak of its power
alluvial plains
a largely flat landform created by the deposition of sediment over a long period of time by one or more rivers coming from highland regions, from which alluvial soil forms
Maize
also known as corn, is a large grain plant first domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mexico about 10,000 years ago
Chavin de Huantar
an archaeological site containing ruins and artifacts originally constructed in the Peruvian Andes by the pre-Incan Chavín people around 900 B.C.E. The Chavín civilization is thought to be the earliest and most developed in Peru's history, pre-dating the Inca by almost 2000 years, coastal style of architecture, 2 phases: Old Temple, New Temple, fang-faced tenons
canals
an artificial waterway constructed to allow the passage of boats or ships inland or to convey water for irrigation
Bronze Age
an era of British history that spanned from c. 2500 until c. 800 BC. Lasting for approximately 1,700 years, it was preceded by the era of Neolithic Britain and was in turn followed by the period of Iron Age Britain
atrium
an open-roofed entrance hall or central court in an ancient Roman house.
Heinrich Schliemann
archaeological excavator of Hissarlik, now presumed to be the site of Troy, along with the Mycenaean sites Mycenae and Tiryns. His work lent weight to the idea that Homer's Iliad and Virgil's Aeneid reflect historical events. Schliemann's excavation of nine levels of archaeological remains with dynamite has been criticized as destructive of significant historical artifacts, including the level that is believed to be the historical Troy
Ötzi
is a nickname given to the well-preserved natural mummy of a man who lived around 3,300 BCE, The mummy was found in September 1991 in the Ötztal Alps, hence the nickname "Ötzi", near the Similaun mountain and Hauslabjoch on the border between Austria and Italy.[3] He is Europe's oldest known natural human mummy, and has offered an unprecedented view of Chalcolithic Europeans
linear A
is one of two currently undeciphered writing systems used in ancient Greece (Cretan hieroglyphic is the other). Linear A was the primary script used in palace and religious writings of the Minoan civilization. It was discovered by archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans
early history of Rome
began as a modest village in the region of Italy known as Latium, settlement of Rome soon found itself at war with its powerful neighbors, the Sabines, Etruscans took over and Rome gained a formal city centre, gave them writing, public buildings, and new political, social and military organization, Roman Republic was born after Brutus lead a rebellion to kick out Etruscans, began small wars to increase land, beat Aqeui and Volsci and set up strategic colonies, captured Veii after 10-year siege, briefly captured by the Celts ,3 wars against Samnites, victory in 3rd war extended Roman territory across the Appennines to the Adriatic Sea, made Rome a major regional power, Greeks were pissed, they were defeated, Tarentum fell to the Romans, Rome now controlled the whole of the Italian Peninsula, first Punic War fought against Carthagininas for control of Sicily, Rome won, second Punic War, Rome won again, found themselves in a succession of wars with Spain, defeated Macedonian army at Cynoscephalae, Greece and Macedonia together became the Roman province of Achaea, destroyed Carthage in 3rd Punic War, territory became another new province, Africa, Rome became the ruler of a great Mediterranean empire, beginning of the end came when brothers Gracchus challenged the traditional constitutional order, Social War where Italian allies (lost) but largely won demand for full Roman citizenship, defeat of Mithridates, king of Pontus overran Asia Minor and Greece, first Triumvirate- Caesar, Crassus, Pompey the Great, Gallic War huge accession of new territory, tried to become supreme ruler but was killed, his son Octavian defeated his assassins in the Battle of Philippi, established Second Triumvirate w Marcus Aemilius Lepidus -> lead to conflict between Octavian and Mark Antony, Octavian won at battle of Actium, leaving him sole ruler, granted title Augustus, making him first official emperor of Rome
Mount Li
burial tomb for Shihuangdi, China's first emperor, built in the center of the spirit city, an area enclosed by an inner wall, it contained sacred stone tablets and prayer temples, near Terracotta soldiers
Rome
considered so important because It controlled most of Europe, and a great deal of European culture and customs date back to roman times. The fall of the western roman empire created a giant power vacuum that the church moved into, solidifying Christianity as the religious power in Europe for the next millennium
casts/molds
consists of pouring molten metal into a mold, where it solidifies into the shape of the mold. The process was well established in the Bronze Age (beginning c 3000 BC), when it was used to form bronze pieces
Gansu
is a province in north-central China. Its city of Jiayuguan is known for the striking Overhanging Great Wall and imposing Jiayuguan Pass fortress complex, both part of the Great Wall of China, pottery making: stacking coils of clay into the desired shape and then smoothing the surfaces with paddles and scrapers, pots found in graves often painted w red and black pigments
linear B
is a syllabic script that was used for writing Mycenaean Greek, the earliest attested form of Greek. The script predates the Greek alphabet by several centuries
Villa of the Mysteries
is a well-preserved suburban Roman villa on the outskirts of Pompeii, southern Italy, famous for the series of frescos in one room, which are usually thought to show the initiation of a young woman into a Greco-Roman mystery cult
Thomas Jefferson
excavated an ancient mound near the Rivanna river, directed the dig in person, first American to conduct a scientific archaeological study, systematic investigation, published finds, (Notes on the State of Virginia), established the link between the ancestral Indian community of the Rivanna River and their successors
Crete
is the civilization that existed on the island of Crete, just south of Greece, in the Mediterranean Sea. From around 3560-1400 B.C., inhabitants known as Minoans controlled Crete and ruled the island in autonomous city states. Although the Minoans were able to rise to a position of political and economic dominance during this time, their civilization and subsequent control over Crete was destroyed by a large volcanic eruption 300 km away, layering it in hot volcanic ash.[citation needed] It is from this period onward that Crete began to fall under the control of the nearby Greek city-states and eventually the Roman Empire
craft specialization
is what archaeologists call the assignment of specific tasks to specific people or subsets of people in a community
Palenque
located in the foothills of the Chiapas altiplano of modern Mexico, Palenque was an important Maya city which flourished between c. 600 and 750 CE., the site prospered as an inland trade centre which allowed Palenque to control a large territory and form beneficial alliances with other powerful cities such as Tikal, Pomoná, and Tortuguero, a major building boom was started by a powerful lord, Lord Pakal was buried in an elaborate tomb beneath the pyramid that supports the Temple of the Inscriptions
San Lorenzo and La Venta
located in the southeast portion of the Mexican state of Veracruz. Along with La Venta and Tres Zapotes, it was one of the three major cities of the Olmec, most famous for the colossal stone heads unearthed there
adobe houses
made from a mud mixture used to make sun-dried bricks for buildings in arid areas
Machu Picchu
most famous archaeological site in Peru, and perhaps all of South America, another Inca site, virtually hidden until 1902, Urubamba Valley, bridges, ramps, terraces, sculpting of mountains, farmers, industries, royal building, not that big, royal estates, seasonal lofty retreats, gabled houses, Kanchas, household shrines, intihuatana found, large stone pillar that has ceremonial function, usually would be destroyed by the Spanish- shows they did not come here
Nazca geoglyphs
mysterious geoglyphs that span a vast swath of the rugged Peruvian desert, remain an engima. No one has proof as to who built them and what their function was. Since their discovery, the they have inspired fantastic explanations from ancient gods, a landing strip for returning aliens, a celestial calendar created by the ancient Nazca civilization -- putting the creation of the lines between 200 BC and 600 AD, used for rituals probably related to astronomy, to confirm the ayllus or clans who made up the population and to determine through ritual their economic functions held up by reciprocity and redistribution, or a map of underground water supplies
Mayan long count
new method of tracking dates from a fixed moment in time, using a modified vigesimal tally, the Long Count calendar identifies a day by counting the number of days passed since a mythical creation date that corresponds to August 11, 3114 BCE in the Proleptic Gregorian calendar
Minoan
of, relating to, or denoting a Bronze Age civilization centered on Crete ( circa 3000-1050 BC), its people, or its language
Colorado River
one of the principal rivers of the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The 1,450-mile Colorado River drains an expansive, arid watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. and two Mexican states
El Lazon
part of a temple in Chavin, it is a U-shaped structure, has a carving of a standing human figure with snakes typifying the hair and a pair of great fangs in the upper jaw, this figure, also called the Great Image, and the Smiling God, is thought to have been the chief object of worship in the original temple
wetland fields
raised field complexes in a series of Mayan sites, built up by piling floodplain sediments above the natural terrain, cultivated fields were established above the high-water table, or floodplain during the rainy season, these raised or drained fields could receive water supplements from the intervening canals in the dry season
state development
the development of a form of government with an internally specialized and hierarchically organized decision-making apparatus, a state generally has three or more administrative levels
Sipan
small village at the center of the valley of Lambayeque, Moche, agricultural community, distinguished by presence of pyramids and cemeteries, richest burial chamber ever looted found in smallest of the 3 pyramids, royal tomb of a Moche ruler, uncovered 3 fabulous tombs, central figure was elaborately costumed in gold + silver ornaments, sacrifice ceremonies
Ancestral Pueblos
term used for one of the major prehistoric southwestern cultural traditions that developed out of the hunting-and-gathering adaption around 2000 years before, they lived in a range of structures that included small family pit houses, larger structures to house clans, grand pueblos, and cliff-sited dwellings for defense. The Ancestral Puebloans possessed a complex network that stretched across the Colorado Plateau linking hundreds of communities and population centers. They held a distinct knowledge of celestial sciences that found form in their architecture. The Kiva, a congregational space that was used chiefly for ceremonial purposes, was an integral part of this ancient people's community structure
Qin dynasty
the Chinese dynasty (from 246 BC to 206 BC) that established the first centralized imperial government and built much of the Great Wall
city
the ancient world, very often a `city' describes an urban center of dense population and a certain pattern of buildings spreading out from a central religious complex such as a temple
grave goods
the items that are placed in graves to accompany the deceased
Monk's Mound
the largest Pre-Columbian earthwork in the Americas and the largest pyramid north of Mesoamerica. The beginning of its construction dates from 900-955 CE
Mississippian culture
the last major prehistoric cultural development in North America, lasting from about ad 700 to the time of the arrival of the first European explorers. It spread over a great area of the Southeast and the mid-continent, in the river valleys of what are now the states of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, with scattered extensions northward into Wisconsin and Minnesota and westward into the Great Plains. The culture was based on intensive cultivation of corn (maize), beans, squash, and other crops, which resulted in large concentrations of population in towns along riverine bottomlands. Politically and culturally each large town or village dominated a satellite of lesser villages; government was in the hands of priest-rulers.
Stonehenge
the most impressive prehistoric monument in the British Isles, and perhaps all of Europe, located on the Salisbury plain in southern England, famous for its mysterious aura and impressive feat of construction, remodeled multiple times, functioned in part as an observatory to record the summer solstice, some have argued it is an astronomical computer
Troy
the name of the Bronze Age city featured in the Trojan War of ancient Greek oral and literary tradition and the name given to the archaeological site in the north west of Asia Minor (now Turkey) which has revealed a large and prosperous city occupied over millennia, it is now almost universally accepted that the archaeological excavations have revealed the city of Homer's Iliad
Mount Vesuvius
the only active volcano in mainland Europe, and has produced some of the continent's largest volcanic eruptions. Located on Italy's west coast, it overlooks the Bay and City of Naples and sits in the crater of the ancient Somma volcano. Vesuvius is most famous for the 79 AD eruption which destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum
Mycenaean
the term applied to the art and culture of Greece from ca. 1600 to 1100 B.C. The name derives from the site of Mycenae in the Peloponnese, where once stood a great Mycenaean fortified palace. Mycenae is celebrated by Homer as the seat of King Agamemnon, who led the Greeks in the Trojan War.
Paul Kirchhoff
was a German-Mexican anthropologist, most noted for his seminal work in defining and elaborating the culture area of Mesoamerica, a term he coined
Pliny the Younger
was a lawyer, author, and magistrate of Ancient Rome. Pliny's uncle, Pliny the Elder, helped raise and educate him. Both Pliny the Elder and the Younger were witnesses to the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, in which the former died. Pliny the Younger wrote hundreds of letters, many of which still survive and are of great historical value
Hiram Bingham
was an American academic, explorer and politician. He made public the existence of the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu in 1911 with the guidance of local indigenous farmers
Arthur Evans
was an English archaeologist and pioneer in the study of Aegean civilization in the Bronze Age. He is most famous for unearthing the palace of Knossos on the Greek island of Crete
Giuseppi Fiorelli
was an Italian archaeologist. His excavations at Pompeii helped preserve the city
Hohokam
were an ancient Native American culture centered on the present-US state of Arizona. The Hohokam are one of the four major cultures of the American Southwest and Northern Mexico in Southwestern archaeology. Considered part of the Oasisamerica tradition, the Hohokam established significant trading centers such as at Snaketown and are considered to be the builders of the original canal system around the Phoenix metropolitan area, which the Mormon pioneers rebuilt when they settled the Lehi area of Mesa near Red Mountain