Archaeology Test 2

Front 1

poor preservation

Back 1

we can never arrive at the "true" facts for past enviros due to _____ _____________ of many forms of evidence

Front 2

sea cores

Back 2

climatic info through analysis of organic molecules; fatty lipids adjust according to temp changes ... when it is cold, lipids increase

Front 3

isotopes

Back 3

provide data on precipitation

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winds

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_____ can have a great impact on human activity

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raindrops

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_______ in hurricanes -> more oxy-16 -> leaves treaces in layers of stalagmites (caves) and tree rings

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land bridges

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many caused by falls in sea level i.e. Bering Strait; effects on flora and fauna

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isostatic uplift

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occurs when the weight of ice is removed as temps rise, as at the end of an ice age

Front 8

echo-sounding

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topography of submerged coastal plains *analogous to devices used to find sites

Front 9

middens

Back 9

location of _______ can be a good indicator of earlier coastlines

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horizontal

Back 10

beaches may occur in ____________ stratigraphy

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coral

Back 11

______ indicates position of previous shorelines and its organisms give info on local marine environment

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O2

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____ isotopes give info on glacial expansion and contraction

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rock art

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i.e. sea rises -> change in food available -> change in technology -> change in art

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geoarchaeology

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area of study that uses the methods and concepts of earth sciences to examine processes of earth formation, and soil/sediment patterns

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glaciated landscapes

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U-shaped valleys, polished/striated rocks, moraine deposits

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varves

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Scandinavia; deep lakes - annual layers of sediment after spring thaw; often contain pollen that complement climatic info

Front 17

caves

Back 17

conserves wide variety of evidence about human activities and climate/environment

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geomorphology

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study of the form and development of the landscape

Front 19

soil micromorphology

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use of microscopic techniques to study the nature and organization of the components of soils

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primary cultural deposits

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gather on surface from human activity

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secondary cultural deposits

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primary deposits that have been modified by physical displacement or because of a change of use of the activity area

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tertiary cultural deposit

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a primary deposit that is completely removed from the original context

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what soil micromorphology can do

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can... 1. help with enviro reconstr. of ancient human landscapes 2. contextual archae -> more comprehensive view

Front 24

Loess sediment

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only deposited during periods of relatively cold, dry climate; Neolithic soils formed in loess - > rich in minerals, fertile

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organic remains

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________ ________ above all provide the richest source of evidence for environmental reconstruction

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pollen analysis

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provides info on chronology and on environment of microbotanical remains

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diatom analysis

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can indicate fresh/brackish/saltwater; can indicate period when lakes became isolated from the sea in areas of tectonic uplift, positions of past shorelines

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rock varnishes

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natural accretions of manganese and iron oxides, together w/ clay minerals and organic matter

Front 29

screening (sieving); flotation techniques

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retrieval of macrobotanical vegetation has been made easier by the development of ___________ and _________ techniques able to separate minerals grains from organic materials because of their different sizes and densities

Front 30

charcoal

Back 30

analysis of ___________ can reveal local environment and human adaptation to it; waterlogged and dessicated wood

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microfauna

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tend to be better indicators of climate and environmental change bc they are more sensitive to small variations in climate and adapt to the mrelatively quickly i.e. insectivores, rodents, bats, birds ,fish

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macrofauna

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ideal is animal remains not killed by humans or carnivores i.e. killed in a flood

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bones

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______ usually preserve when buried quickly (avoids weathering) and non-acidic waterlogged sites

Front 34

debates about big-game extinctions

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1. Martin - arrival of people who over-exploited their prey 2. Lundelius - climatic change 3. compromise theory

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compromise theory

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removal of megaherbivores must have radically affected Pleistocene environment

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pollen analysis

Back 36

highly important method for demonstrating deliberate woodland clearance; trace the process of forest clearance and cultivation in the area

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islands

Back 37

most devastating human impact can be seen on _________ where settlers introduced new animals and plants

Front 38

eccentricity

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degree to which the Earth's orbit around the Sun is elliptical or circular

Front 39

Milankovitch cycles

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predictions of eccentricity, tilt, precession

Front 40

Franchthi Cave

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during the early Holocene the bay was entirely dry land; bay gradually became submerged, changing local environment; Mediterranean floodplains -> enviro change -> coastlines -> changes available resources

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palynology

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technical term for pollen analysis

Front 42

lakes

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pollen gets well preserved in __________

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pollen sequence

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represents change over time in different kinds of plants in a region

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cities

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______ weren't built during Pleistocene

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environment

Back 45

we both influence and are influenced by the ______________

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Hokulea

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Polynesian; massive ship that could hold up to 200 people; only way in or out *design specifically for island settlement/island hopping

Front 47

Easter/Viking collapses

Back 47

opposite explanations but similar forms of evidence. 1) arch evidence of collapse of local culture 2) paleo-enviro data (i.e. palynology and ice cores) show enviro change 3) in one case, humans are argued to be agents, in other climate change. which is correct...(both?)

Front 48

Pleistocene-Holocene transition

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most extinctions occurred in the ___________-________ ______________

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Sumerians

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___________ invented the wheel; Southern Mesopotamia around 2600 BC

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flint/chert, obsidian, jasper

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examples of stone

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qualities of stone

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homogeneity, elasticity, isotropic, highly siliceous

Front 52

obsidian

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usually found in exposed formations near old volcanoes

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Francois Bordes

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master of lithic reproduction of stone tools

Front 54

hammer stones

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used in "hard percussion" as big flakes are removed from the core, or as outside "rind" is removed in preparation of a core

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billets or batons

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shaped pieces of antler, bone, or hardwoods that are used in "soft percussion" or removal of smaller, thin flakes from a prepared core

Front 56

pressure flaking

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a technique using pressure applied on a small point to remove a tiny bit of stone used to finish the most sophisticated tools

Front 57

meals

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direct evidence of various kinds as to what people were eating at a particular time

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diet

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pattern of consumption over a long period of time

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zooarchaeology

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study of past human use of animals

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paleoethnobotany

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study of past human use of plants

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plant remains

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can survive by being partly or wholly replaced by minerals percolating thru sediment, a process that tends to occur in places like latrine pits with high concentrations of salts

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context

Back 62

archaeological ________ of a plant sample is crucial in analysis

Front 63

phytoliths

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specific to certain parts of a plant and thus their presence may provide clues to the particular harvesting and threshing technique used

Front 64

down-the-line trade

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a type of distribution pattern/reciprocity where trade item is traded from village to village, going farther away from the source of the item and the quantity of the trade item is decreasing

Front 65

old copper culture

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type of archeometallurgy. Term coined by W.C. McKern in 1942. Occurred in Late Archaic Period from 3000 to 1000 BC. Found tools and weapons of local native copper deposits. This is the earliest metallurgy in the Americas. there are over 100 sites centered in Wisconsin and upper peninsular Michigan.

Front 66

temper

Back 66

what you add to clay to make pottery. it’s usually sand or some kind of silty, crushed up substance.

Front 67

last glacial maximum

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refers to the time of maximum extent of ice sheets during the last glacial period. happened around 20,000 BP in the Northern Hemisphere. Sea level was really low.

Front 68

origins of agriculture

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in Levant area. This term refers to food production. Does not equal cultural progress. Arose possibly because of environmental change, population pressure, coevolution, sedentism, sociopolitical competition, and risk management.

Front 69

oasis hypothesis

Back 69

aka dessication hypothesis. An explanation for the rise of agriculture that says it’s due to the Holocene Environmental Change: that an increase in temperature yields increased aridity which yields increase in the proximity of people, plants, and animals around limited sources of water (oasis) which leads to domestication of plants/animals. This is now refuted by global warming evidence: that when temperature rises, sea level and flooding increases. hence, more water.

Front 70

hilly flanks hypothesis

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Theory says that agriculture developed from domestication of plants and animals within their natural range (like cereal grains) as people “settle in.” This doesn’t explain why or exactly when argiculture arose.

Front 71

marginal zone hypothesis

Back 71

Theory says that agriculture arose because human populations surpassed the carrying capacity of landscapes, forcing them to move into marginal zones to avoid conflict.When they moved, people took with them seeds, which led to domestication.

Front 72

coevolutionary model

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says that there are mutual evolutionary effects of interacting species on each other. symbiosis of humans, plants, and animals.

Front 73

feasting model

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says that there is sociopolitical competition via ostentatious displays of power, such as holding feasts to exert dominance. Feasting requires large amounts of food; so in order to do this, you need a surplus, which means you have to domesticate stuff, have agricultural technology, and use storage. Developed by Bryan Hayden.

Front 74

emmer, einkom, barley, lentil, pea, chickpea, bitter vetch, flax

Back 74

Neolithic "founder crops"

Front 75

Neutron Activation Analysis

Back 75

Looks at trace elements, neutrons, radioisotope decay, gamma ray emmision, neutron energy spectrum, and radioactive species.

Front 76

tools

Back 76

can prove/suggest that plants were processed at a site; *but alone are poor indicators of such features, and require supporting evidence such as remains of domesticated plants

Front 77

isotopic analysis

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organic residues with particular reference to nitrogen and carbon isotope ratios i.e. beans, legumes

Front 78

Bernardino de Sahagun

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Franciscan 16th c. scholar who documented Aztec food crops, fishing practices, etc