1ANT-202 First Midterm Review SheetTerms/Concepts:1. Prehistorya. Before the invention of writingb. Extends back some 2.5mya; dating varies geographically2. Writinga. Technology for storing, manipulating, and communicating datab. Extends back 5,000 yearsc. Developed independently in Sumer (3100BC), China (1500BC) and Mesoamerica(500-300BC)3. Cultural Anthropologya. Study living people and their societies and cultures4. Linguistic Anthropologya. Study human language5. Physical or Biological Anthropologya. Study the biology of humans, human genetics, and human originsb. Evolution of human species in the fossil record6. Archaeologya. Study of ancient things that are the byproducts of human activities7. Material Culturea. Physical manifestations of culture8. Excavationa. Exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remainsi. Dig in square holes to measure and keep track of areaii. Sift soil, use shovels, pickaxes, brushes and square buckets9. Artifacta. Any portable object or material made or used by a human being in the past10. Ecofacta. Remains of animals or plants that result from human activities but were not intentionally modified11. Featurea. An artifact that cannot be moved (ex: house, foundation, pyramid, hearth)12. Sitea. Accumulation of artifacts, features, ecofacts, and human skeletal remainsb. Represent places where people lived, died, or carried out certain activities13. Fossila. Petrified remains of a once-living organism14. Middena. Deposit of prehistoric garbage (ecofacts)b. Soil is darker b/c enriched by prehistoric remains15. Human Skeletal Remainsa. Remains of humans and human ancestorsb. Results from accidental, intentional, or preserved burials16. Associationa. Proximity of artifacts and features to other artifacts and features in the same matrix217. Contexta. Relationship between an artifact and its settingi. Measured in time and space18. Stratigraphya. Layering of soil or rock depositsb. A stratum is a single layer, strata is multiple layers19. Law of Superpositiona. The deeper strata are the oldestb. The bottom layer had to be there before the one on top could arrive20. Relative Datinga. Dates artifacts and fossils using the law of superposition21. Three Age System (Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age)a. European Three Age System developed in Scandinavia in 1800sb. Based on cultural traits:Relative Dating Traits Period Absolute DatingYoungest Iron Tools “Iron Age” 3,200BP-presentIntermediate Bronze Tools “Bronze Age” 5,000-3,200BPOldest Stone Tools “Stone Age” 2.5mya-5,000BP22. Paleolithica. Stone tools associated with hunting and gathering23. Neolithica. Stone tools associated with farming (New Stone Age)24. Cenozoica. 65 million years ago to presentb. Age of mammals25. Quarternarya. 2.0 million years ago to presentb. Glaciation intensified and earth entered constantly fluctuating climate26. Miocene, 25-5.5myaa. Warmer global climates27. Pliocene, 5.5-2.0myaa. Global cooling after Miocene28. Pleistocene, 2.0mya-12,000yaa. “Ice Age”29. Holocene, 12,000ya-presenta. Last 12,000 years of Earth’s history – current epoch30. Dendrochronologya. Tree ring datingb. Tremendously accurate, but only works in places where wood preservesi. Consistently wet or dry climatesc. Unfortunately, most prehistoric artifacts are stone31. Radiocarbon Datinga. Measures half-lives of unstable isotopesb. Invented in 1949 and revolutionized dating worldwide in archaeologyc. Carbon-14 is constantly produced and decaying in atmospherei. Constant ratio of C-14/C-12, half-life of 5742 years3ii. Living creatures accumulate carbon in body at same ratio as atmosphereiii. Scientists compare amount of C-14 in modern object to deceasedd. Only good for organic objects up to 40,000 years32. Potassium-Argon Datinga. Determines when rocks and fossils were formedb. Unstable potassium isotope decays to argon with half-life of 1.3 billion years33. Oxygen Isotope Analysisa. Allows us to estimate prehistoric temperature and climates34. Palynologya. Study of plant pollens to determine which plants lived in that area at that timeb. Used to prove that erectus lived in incredibly cold climates and might’ve developed some form of clothing35. Biological Evolutiona. The most well-adapted organisms will pass on their superior characteristics more frequentlyb. This series of mutations will lead to the emergence of a new species36. Natural Selectiona. (See Biological Evolution)37. Colonizationa. Genus Homo begins moving out of Africa 1.8-1.9myab. Colonized Asia 1.9myac. Colonized northernmost parts of Asia 15,000 years agod. Colonized Australia 45,000 years agoi. 65 miles of water between southeast Asia and Australiaii. Had to have developed boatse. Colonized North and South America 15,000 years agoi. Asian colonists walked across land bridges at low sea levelsf. Colonized remote Pacific 3,000 years agoi. Ancestors of Polynesia had boatsii. Crossed over 3,000 km of open water38. Adaptationa. The process of adjusting to new environmental circumstances to subsist and survivei. Colonists leaving Africa had to adjust to the Asian climateii. Neanderthals staying in Europe witnessed tremendous climate change39. Social Complexitya. Primates don’t have complex social organizationsi. No division of labor, power, or foodb. Humans developed systems of elaborate power structuresi. Hierarchies, social inequality, division of labor (specialists)40. Bipedalisma. The ability to walk upright on two feetb. First began Hominini family which was categorized by bipedalismi. Glaciation led to less forestationii. Large African plains require long distance walking for foragingc. Advantages: free hands, long distance walking, view surroundings, efficient4d. Disadvantages: slower41. Gracile Australopithecinesa. Split from Robust line; both existed at same timeb. Australopithecus africanusc. Larger cranial capacity, smaller and lighter than Robust, less prognathic skull42. Robust Australopithecinesa. Split from Gracile line; both existed at same timeb. Thicker bones, larger teeth, heavy jaws, sagittal crestc. Line does not lead to modern humans and eventually disappears43. Basal Paleolithica. 2.5-1.8 million years agob. Began with Australopithecus garhic. Marked by Oldowan (Pebble) tools and flakes44. Lower Paleolithica. 1.8mya-200,000 years agob. Began with Homo erectusc. Marked by Acheulian hand axes and choppers45. Middle Paleolithica. 200,000-35,000 years agob. Began with Homo sapiens