Draft Test Format Review #1b PDF

# DRAFT Test format (subject to revision): - 25 multiple choice (3 points each) - 5 fill in the blank (4 points each) - 2 short answer (5 points each) Total points: 105 Best possible score: 100 (i.e., 5 points extra credit, up to 100) ## Example fill in the blanks (use a word or a phrase): 1. A...

# DRAFT Test format (subject to revision): - 25 multiple choice (3 points each) - 5 fill in the blank (4 points each) - 2 short answer (5 points each) Total points: 105 Best possible score: 100 (i.e., 5 points extra credit, up to 100) ## Example fill in the blanks (use a word or a phrase): 1. Archaeologists study artifacts and **ecofacts**, which are natural objects found at sites. 2. The theory that human populations were stalled in Beringia during the last glacial maximum is called the **Beringia Standstill** hypothesis. 3. An artifact that can be dated to a specific period based on its style or form is known as a **type** 4. The law that states younger layers of soil are deposited above older layers is called the law of **superposition**. 5. The method of dating based on tree rings is known as **dendrochronology**. 6. Archaeologists at Monte Verde found evidence of a **coastal** adaptation, indicating coastal living. 7. Monte Verde is a site located in **Chile** and dates to around 14,500 BP. 8. Archaeology that combines the study of material culture and written records is known as **historical archaeology**. 9. The distinctive stone tools associated with the Clovis culture are called **Clovis points**. 10. **Meadowcroft Rockshelter** is the site in Pennsylvania that provided evidence of pre-Clovis human occupation. 11. In archaeology, an artifact's exact location in relation to the ground or other artifacts is called its **provenience**. 12. The first widely accepted evidence of humans in N America came from the **Clovis** site in New Mexico. 13. **Seriation** is a type of relative dating method that arranges artifacts into a sequence based on stylistic changes over time. 14. The Clovis culture is generally dated to around **13,000** years ago. 15. The method that uses the decay of carbon isotopes to date organic materials is called **radiocarbon dating**. ## Short Answer examples (answer in 2-3 sentences) 1. What is the significance of the Monte Verde site in challenging the Clovis-first model, and how does it change our understanding of early human migration in the Americas? 2. Why is archaeology unique in that it destroys its evidence as it collects data, and what methods do archaeologists use to mitigate this issue? 3. Why is the African Burial Ground excavation important for historical archaeology, and how did community involvement influence the project? 4. Describe the role of ecofacts in archaeological analysis. How do ecofacts differ from artifacts, and what can they reveal about past human behavior? 5. What are the key differences between processual and postprocessual archaeology? Provide an example of how each approach might interpret an archaeological site differently. 6. Explain how archaeologists use the law of superposition and stratigraphy to date artifacts and understand the sequence of human activities at a site. 7. Why does historical archaeology align most closely with postprocessual archaeology? ## History of the Discipline - Kennewick Man: NAGPRA issues, cultural affiliation, ethical/political questions - Discovery of Deep Time: Pre-1800s reliance on Bible; contributions of Boucher de Perthes, Darwin, Marx - Antiquarianism: Roots in collecting and looting antiquities - Arch. and Native Americans: Ethical challenges; treatment of Native cultures as "other." - A.V. Kidder: Ceramics as time markers, interdisciplinary approaches, culture history - Binford & Processual Archaeology: Scientific methods, hypothesis testing, adaptation - Postprocessual Archaeology: Humanistic approaches, recovery of agency, meaning ## Structures of Inquiry - 20th Century Approaches: Processual, postprocessual, and culture history - Anthro Approach: Holistic, comparative study of humankind; bio-cultural-linguistic - Scientific Approach: Objective, logical, hypothesis testing, self-correcting - Culture: Learned, shared, symbolic; functions as ideas and adaptation - Potlatch: Feasts for prestige, symbolizing cultural adaptation and status - Moundbuilders: Debunking myths that Native Americans didn't build the mounds - Theory: Low (data), middle (linking data to behavior), high (big questions) - Paradigms: Processual (evolutionary generalizations) vs. postprocessual (power, status, ideology) ## Survey in Archaeology - Surveys: Used to find sites, sample part of the whole - Noninvasive Methods: Remote sensing (e.g. ground-penetrating radar) - Goals: Finding sites, understanding settlement patterns, understanding landscapes - Settlement Pattern: Distribution of sites in an area - Landscape: Connections between natural and meaningful spaces - Gumshoe Survey: Informal, unsystematic survey methods - Fallacy of the Typical Site: Misconceptions from focusing on typical site types - Sampling Considerations: Representativeness vs. bias - What's a Site?: Spatially-limited cluster of artifacts/features - Eastern US Survey Methods: Shovel testing, CRM (Cultural Resource Management) ## Excavation - Starts with Questions: How did Virginia Indians' oyster harvesting change over time? - Context & Provenience: Importance of context (location, association) - Archaeology Destroys Evidence: Collecting data inherently destroys context & assoc. - McJunkin: Discovery at Folsom redefines long human history in Americas - Context and Association: Bones and artifacts found together - Preservation Factors: Moisture, temperature, oxygen - Examples of Preservation: Duck decoys, Ozette site, Otzi the Iceman - Provenience: Importance of precise location, datum points, natural layers - Sifting Evidence: Screening, flotation, cataloging finds - Excavation Methods: Wide area vs. deep stratigraphic excavation - Theoretical Frameworks: Culture history (change over time), processual (envt'l adaptation), postprocessual (ideology/power) ## Dating - Absolute vs. Relative Dating: Exact dates vs. artifact sequencing - Diagnostic Artifacts: Time-specific artifacts (index fossils) - Seriation: Relative dating based on artifact frequency changes - Dendrochronology: Tree ring dating - Radiocarbon Dating (C14): Carbon decay dating for organic materials - Stratigraphy: Newer layers over older ones - Law of Superposition: Younger layers/features above older ones - C14 Calibration: Adjusting radiocarbon dates for carbon fluctuations - Radiometric Dating: Dating using radioactive decay ## Plants and Animals - Faunal Analysis: Identification of animal remains from archaeological sites - Paleoethnobotany: Study of plant remains from archaeological contexts - Ecofacts: Plant and animal remains in archaeological sites - Taphonomy: Study of how remains accumulate and preserve - Faunal Assemblage: Collection of animal bones from a site - Macrobotanical Remains: Analysis of visible plant remains - Lehner Ranch (Clovis Site): Pollen analysis, tracking environmental changes - Environmental Shifts: Changes linked to megafaunal extinction ## Peopling of the Americas - Multiple Waves: Terminal Pleistocene forager-fishers and hunter-gatherers - Land Route: Ice-Free Corridor, Clovis points, 13k BP, megafaunal hunters - Meadowcroft Rockshelter: Controversial site, artifacts dating to 15k BP - Monte Verde: Coastal site in Chile, 14.5k BP, older than Clovis - Clovis Points: Over-engineered tools, spread across North America by 13k BP - Coastal Migration Route - Takeaways: Modern humans in the Americas by 15k BP; coastal and interior adaptations ## Adovasio and Pre-Clovis - Meadowcroft Rockshelter: Stratified site in Pennsylvania, older than Clovis - Clovis-First Model: Previously dominant view, 13,000 BP, megafaunal hunters - Perishable Materials: Well-preserved in caves and rock shelters (e.g., baskets, clothes) - Damn! Meadowcroft's dates (15,000 BP) predate Clovis, provoking controversy - Clovis Points: Distinctive stone tools, often hafted to spears - Pre-Clovis Controversy: Debate over human presence in the Americas before Clovis - Beringia Standstill Hypothesis: Populations stalled in Beringia during glacial maximum ## Social Organization - Social Organization: Rules governing relationships in a community - Political Organization: Institutions regulating collective actions and decision-making - Gender: Socially constructed roles, fluid across cultures - Kinship: Relationships by descent or marriage - Social Status: A person's standing within a group, achieved or ascribed - Ritual: Symbolic, repetitive actions marking life events or social bonds - Middle-Range Theory: Linking material remains to past activities - Indian Knolls: Burial site with atlatl weights; questions about gender roles in hunting - Peruvian Female Hunter: Challenges “man the hunter,” suggests gender-neutral hunting - Gender Bias in Archaeology: Historical male dominance, unrecognized assumptions - Intersectionality: How gender interacts with other social categories (race, class, etc.) - Moundville: Achieved vs. ascribed status in a ranked Mississippian society ## Historical Archaeology - Combines Archaeology and Documentation: Addresses biases and gaps in written records - J. Deetz: Material culture and documentary record, last 500 years - K. Deagan: Focus on colonialism, interactions b/w Indigenous, Europeans, and Africans - M. Leone: Critique of capitalism, social control through material culture - Early Historical Archaeology: Focused on sites of wealth and power (Jamestown, Wbrg) - Col Wbrg: Current focus includes African Am experiences, women's roles, Native Am interactions - Jamestown Rediscovery: Found original 1607 fort, “Starving Time” explored - Postprocessual Leanings: Incorporates texts, ethnohistoric data, oral traditions - African Burial Ground (1991): Enslaved African remains, community involvement, Sankofa symbol - Ludlow Massacre (1913): Archaeology of coal miners' strike, modern labor connections - Focus Today: Power, class, resistance, and public collaboration