Chapter 3 Doing Anthropology I Research Methods in Archaeology and Physical Anthropology anthropological archaeology reconstructs human behavior social patterns and cultural features through the analysis of material remains biological anthros Study living and recent humans genetics growth development etc and primates as well as deceased and ancient ones paleoanthropologists study human evolution through skeletal material and related material remains such as biological traces and artifacts Multidisciplinary Approaches scientists from diverse fields soil science and paleontology the study of ancient life through the fossil record collaborate with archaeologists and physical anthros in the study of sites where artifacts or fossils have been found palynology study of ancient plants through pollen samples physicists and chemists help with with dating techniques biarchaeologists examine human skeletons to reconstruct physical traits health status and diet a phytolith is a microscopic crystal found in plants inorganic and don t decay can reveal which plants were present at a given site aerial photo and satellite images are forms of remote sensing used in site location Studying the Past paleoanthropology studies foss record of human evolution fossils remains traces or impressions of ancient life forms study faunal fossils that relate to times when hominins may have lived Survey and Excavation more intensive surveying begins in the search for hominin traces bones and tools only hominins move rocks for tool manufacture combine both local excavation and regional systematic survey perspectives systematic survey provides a regional perspective by gathering info on settlement patterns over a large area settlement pattern refers to the distribution of sites within a region involves walking over the entire survey area and recording the location and size of all sites address how big how old where and what kind of building may have been there excavation scientists dig through layers of deposits that make up a site layers strata are used to establish time order of materials superpostition in an undisturbed sequence od strata the oldest layer is on the bottom CRM focuses on managing the preservation of archaeological impact studies before construction can take place II Kinds of Archaeology conditions ancient archaeologists try to replicate ancient techniques and processes under controlled historical archae use written records as guides and supplements to research colonial archae use written records as guides to locate and excavate postcontact sites and to verify or question the written accounts classical archae usually affiliated with university departments of classics or art history tend to focus on the literal civilizations of the old world more interested in styles of architecture and sculpture underwater archae investigates submerged sites shipwrecks III Dating the Past good places for bone preservation include swamps floodplains riverdeltas etc fossilaization is favored in areas with volcanic ash taphonomy study of the processes that affect the remains of dead animals conditions under which fossils are found also influence the fossil record fossils are more likely to be uncoverd through erosion in arid areas than wet Christopher Stringer the absence of evidence does not necessarily prove evidence of absence Relative Dating Absolute Dating provides a time frame in relation to other strata or materials rather than absolute dates in numbers stratigraphy science that examines the ways in which earth sediments accumulate in layers know as strata may not know the exact or absolute dates of the fossils but we can place them in time relative to remains in other layers remains of animals and plants that lived at the same time are found in the same stratum dating fossils that can be dated more precisely with dates in numbers carbon 14 dating used to date organic remains radiometric technique measures radioactive decay of C14 isotope with death the absorption of C14 stops and the isotope starts to break down into N14 C14 has a half life of 5730 years less dependable for specimens older than 40 000 years for more recent remains K Ar technique half life of K40 is greater than carbon uranium series dating measures fission tracks made during decay of U into Pb if older than 500 000 years b p then use thermoluminescence TL and electron spin resonance ESR both measure the electrons that are constantly being trapped in rocks and minerals once a date is obtained for a rock found associated with a fossil that date also can be applied to that fossil uses genetic analysis of DNA sequences to date and to estimate evolutionary distance between species eamines relationships among ancient and contem populations and among species haplogroup a biological lineage defined by a specific cluster of genetic traits that occur together Molecular Anthropology IV Kinds of Physical Anthropology garbology examining garbage to interpret behavior among contemporary humans study patterns of movement or growth and development among living people Bone Biology study of bone as a biological tissue including its genetics cell structure growth development and decay and patterns of movement biomechanics paleopathology study of disease and injury in skeletons from archae sites some cancers can leave traces in bones certain infectious diseases also mark bone as do injuries and nutrition deficiency forensic anthropology physical anthros work in a legal context assisting coroners medical examiners and law enforcement agencies in recovering analyzing and identifying remains and determining the cause of death Anthropometry Primatology measurement of human body parts and dimensions done on living people as well as on skeletal remains from sites considered a subfield of biological anthropology suggests hypothese about behavior that humans do or do not share with our nearest relatives and also with our hominid ancestors Research Methods in Cultural Anthropology sociologists focused on industrialized west anthropologists on non industrial societies sociologists came to rely on questionnaires and other means of gathering masses of quantifiable data traditional ethnographers studied small non literate populations and relied on ethnographic methods appropriate to that context participant observation taking part in the events one is observing V Ethnography Anthropology s Distinctive Strategy anthropology became a separate field as early scholars worked