Archaeological and Anthropological Details - Assignment Example

Archeology Short Answers List the four subfields of anthropology and discuss their relevance to the Rise of Civilization. Archaeology The time range for archaeological research begins with the earliest human ancestors millions of years ago and extends all the way up to the present day showing the timeline of civilization process. Biological Anthropology It explains how humans adapt to different environments, what causes disease and early death, and how humans evolved from other animals leading to civilization. Cultural Anthropology It explore how people in different places live and understand the world around them from ancient period. Linguistic Anthropology It explores how language and communication are keys to how we make society and culture. 2. List and briefly explain the three goals of archaeology. How do they apply and differ from the earlier paradigms of archaeology? It aims at studying human culture by analyzing the objects people have made. It aims at analyzing human bones and teeth to gain information on a people’s diet and the diseases they suffered. It aims at establishing human civilization time frame. While earlier paradigms of archaeology emphasized on estimating the age of fossils, the current changes focuses on explaining differences and similarities in human societies across space and time. 3. How do anthropologists currently view the subject of race? Why have they come to these conclusions and do you agree with them? Why or why not? What is the difference between race and ethnicity? One of the most important tasks of anthropologists is the examination of the biological and cultural variability that exists within humanity. They look at the customs of societies in different parts of the world, seeking to find the common elements that define our shared existence and the differences that lend variety to our lives. They study the biological characteristics of different human populations, relations with relatives—the apes and monkeys, and the evolutionary history of our species. The term has attracted mixed reaction from scholars but is significantly different from ethnicity which is more of cultural variability within same biological race. 4. Why is Alaska so important archaeologically? What theory prevailed until recently and what is your opinion about it? Why is it so hard to do archaeology in Alaska? Alaska is the presumed starting point for three very important migrations that defined the cultural history of the entire Western Hemisphere. These migrations include; initial peopling of the Americas in the Late Pleistocene, speakers of Athapaskan languages to the south, and Thule peoples from northwestern Alaska eastward across the Arctic. The Land Bridge Theory proposes that people migrated from Siberia to Alaska across a land bridge that spanned the current day Bering Strait. It has some omissions as it gives limited information on ethnicity. Archaeological features along the active beaches in Alaska are currently subjected to coastal erosion and should be of immediate concern 5. What is sociobiology and how is it linked to physical anthropology? What can we learn about ourselves by studying sociobiology and be specific? What is meant by the “Biology of Beauty”? Sociobiology is a field of scientific research study which is based on the assumption that social behavior has resulted from evolution. It draws close relationship between racial differences and physical appearances. It helps understand that we have evolved in terms of physical appearance and behavior hence the current civilization and modernity. Biology of beauty is the concept of selective mating based on physical symmetry that is expected to yield high quality offspring. 6. Describe the evolution of tool use including the names of the tool kits and how the tools were used by Australopithecus, Home Habilis, Homo Erectus and Neanderthals. What can we infer about intelligence and tool use? Homo habilis is the first ape from which man began to evolved and made knives. For instance if he needed a sharp edge to cut meat, he would strike two pieces of flint against each other, and the pieces that broke away would usually have a sharp edge, instant Knife. Homo erectus being the first creature that stood upright, they built campfires and may have made simple ovens with hot stones. Homo-sapiens began to make more sophisticated tools using clay and that has undergone revolution through civilization to make the modern society. It can be noted that the tools indicates significant level of intelligence and its increase with time. 7. What is the “Goddess Theory”? Cite one of the major proponents of this theory? What archaeological evidence exists that supports this theory, give three examples. What are some arguments against this way of examining the archaeological remains? What is your opinion and why? This theory speculates that various goddesses found in ancient Greek paganism had been representations of a singular goddess who had been worshipped far further back into prehistory.The proponents of this theory are Eduard Gerhard, Ernst Kroker, Fr. Lenormant and M.J. Menant. The findings hold limited information on the relative comparison between artifacts and theoretical frameworks. 8. Why has garbage always been important to archaeologists? Discuss the relevance and importance of studying both prehistoric as well as present day garbage. What can be learned from it (be sure to include how you can tell about culture, family or an individual by studying garbage). What are three myths about garbage? Studying ancient garbage from around the world gives archaeologists and historians the chance to understand the habits that defined peoples daily lives. This is because the way in which ancient cities used to grow and change through time is actually very much related to the evolution of garbage hence important to archeological exercises. The myths about garbage are shown below; -Fast-food packaging, polystyrene foam and disposable diapers are major constituents of American garbage. -Plastic is also a big problem. -A lot of biodegradation takes place in modern landfills. 10 .What is trepanation? When did it start? What are the current theories about it? What are people doing it now? Why did they do it in the past? Trepanation is an oldest form of surgery in human history, dating to the Neolithic period as far back as 7000 B.C. It is a process involving opening the skull, typically with the intent to relieve pressure on the brain. It is known to produce a prolonged positive effect on the trepanned individuals mood and overall state of well-being. Horsleys theory states that blows to the skull with or without epilepsy might have been the initial reason trepanation was performed. 11. Who was Otzi and why is he important? Otzi is a well-preserved natural mummy of a man who lived around 3,300 BCE.The genetics overall results from the study of Otzi fit the idea that the changes of the Neolithic Revolution spurred people westward into the Tyrol region hence its significance in archeology. 13. The Upper Paleolithic has been described as a time when human creativity expanded enormously. Please discuss what has been found in the realm of both cave and portable art in the Upper Paleolithic. Be sure to list the major sites. Stone tools of the Upper Paleolithic were primarily blade-based technology. Blades are stone pieces that are twice as long as they are wide, and generally have parallel sides. They were used to create an astonishing range of formal tools, tools created to specific, wide-spread patterns with specific purposes. Some of the sites include; Abri Pataud in the Dordogne valley of central France, Arene Candide which is a large cave located on the Ligurian coast of Italy near Savona, Dolní Vĕstonice is a site on the Dyje River in the Czech Republic among others. 14. Why are the bonobos very fascinating and please discuss the content of two articles written about bonobos. They are gracile chimpanzee characterized by relatively long legs, pink lips, dark face and tail-tuft through adulthood, and parted long hair on its head. An article by David Quammen.An exclusive look at bonobos. THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC March 2013 (http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/03/125-bonobos/quammen-text), gives an insight into this creature in terms of food and behavior. Another article Orphan bonobos have trouble comforting others in distress, study finds.Los Angeles Times by Amina Khan (http://articles.latimes.com/2013/oct/14/science/la-sci-sn-bonobos-hug-emotion-comfort-orphan-mother-20131014) offers an in-depth study of the physical and mental aspect of Bonobos. 15. Please discuss the site CatalHoyuk, which is now in Turkey. Please talk about what has been found at the site. Discuss the inferences that have been made about the religion and about the goddess figurines that have been found. The Neolithic site of CatalHoyuk was first discovered in the late 1950s and excavated by James Mellaart in 4 excavation seasons between 1961 and 1965. The site rapidly became famous internationally due to the large size and dense occupation of the settlement, as well as the spectacular wall. Paintings and other art that was uncovered inside the houses. Some were decorative such as exceptional flint daggers with decorative bone handles (right) and clay or stone figurines (left), depicting human figures and animals. The houses found with no doors indicate people using ladders to enter the house attract further research. Section 2 Long answers 1. In the attachments you will find the story “A Modern Bedtime Story”. After reading it you must answer the following questions: a. Do you think Professor Chardonney’s actions should be considered murder? This case should be considered murder as the resulting offspring that Frere Jacque bore with the female creature in the valley was definitely a human being with the only difference being color and tidiness. As such, the professor’s killing of the baby is absolute murder. b. What are the strongest arguments for or against considering his actions murder? Scientific findings on the biological genes prove that the offspring was born a human being due to compatibility of the sex mates. This is because Frere Jacque and the female animal were from the same species. Assuming that the child was an animal was not scientifically supported but based on limited research and assumptions hence killing of the human being were unjustified and punishable. c. Please list at least 5 traits and/or characteristics that biologically separate us from the apes (only one can do with sexuality) -habitual bipedalism -human brain is 3 times larger in volume than those of the great apes -Older human females go through menopause and become sterile, often decades before dying of old age. - Cranium is larger than face -Limited proportion of skin covered in hair. d. Discuss the importance of ethics in this case. In order to do so you will need to go to the following site: www.aaanet.org/committees/ethics/ethcode.htm Ethics requires that in-depth tests could have been carried out to ascertain the characteristic of the offspring. Even if it were not a human species, it was still a living organism innocent hence could not have called for such cruelty. e. Why is medical testing on primates becoming more of a dilemma that is not easily resolved? What is your opinion on this subject? There is increasing criticism towards medical testing on primates due to ethical concerns. While the findings may be used for future scientific developments like is in the case of biotechnology, religious leaders and other scholars have shown opposition. This issue requires sober approach as the study can be of use only if stringent legal framework is put in place by the governments to prevent ill-intentions from the findings and experiment procedures. 2. Forensic anthropology Forensic archaeologists focus on studying teeth and bones to reveal the identities of skeletons found at archaeological sites. Forensic archaeologists can usually determine a victim’s age and sex, whether the body was subjected to trauma and how long the victim had been dead. You are a forensic archaeologist specializing in ancient/historical grave sites. Local construction workers out in the Valley near the Old Knik town site in Wasilla were breaking ground for a new housing development right near the bluff looking out on Knik Arm. They dug down approximately 6 feet and found a human skeleton. The police were called and observed that the skeleton appeared very fragile, which lead them to believe it had been buried there for a long time. The detectives also realized they needed your specialized expertise to help determine or at least get more information to help determine the skeleton’s identity. They have called on you to help them figure out the skeleton’s approximate age and gender. They also need to help determine cause of death and anything else you can tell them about what was found at the scene including taphonomy. Unfortunately, you are on vacation in Tahiti so you will have to email them with the information. Please give explain to them 3 ways forensic anthropologists can to tell gender and 3 ways they can determine the age of a skeleton (how old the person was at the time of death). You also need to just give them some information about taphonomy, what it is and a couple of ways taphonomic processes can effect the body after death. To estimate age, the radioisotope carbon-14 is taken up by an organism in life. As the half-life of carbon-14 is known as being 5,700 years, the amount of the isotope remaining in the sample can be used to calculate its age. Use of cranial sutures (on the skull) can aid age determination besides other methods. Osteon counting by microscopy is another method of estimating the age of a victim in which the more osteons present in the bone, the older the victim. The use of the pelvic bone alone has proved extremely precise in establishing sex, with an accuracy of about 95%. The skull is equally important in the establishment of sex in which a male’s skull will generally have a more rounded supraorbital margin, or brow ridge, and a bony glabella, the portion of bone between the eyebrows and nose. Taphonomy is the study of what happens to an organism after its death and until its discovery as a fossil. It entails decomposition, post-mortem transport, burial, compaction, and other chemical, biologic, or physical activity which affects the remains of the organism. 2. .. Please discuss Upper Paleolithic burials. You need to include the sites of Dolni Vestonice, Sunghir, the Romita Dwarf burial, Arene Candide Cave in Italy, Krens Wachtberg in Austria, Sima de los Heuso and Brno ii in the Czech. Republic. Please discuss the sites, inferences that are made and what we know and don’t about burials from this time period. You also need to include a few Neanderthal burial sites with photos. Dolní Vĕstonice is a site on the Dyje River in the Czech Republic, where Upper Paleolithic (Gravettian) artifacts, burials, hearths and structural remains dated about 30,000 years ago have been found. The site of Arene Candide is a large cave located on the Ligurian coast of Italy near Savona. The site includes eight hearths, and the intentional burial of an adolescent male with a large number of grave goods, nicknamed "Il Principe" (The Prince), dated to the Upper Paleolithic (Gravettian) period. The Upper Paleolithic period in Europe (40,000-20,000 years ago) was a time of great change, with a blossoming of human capabilities and a huge increase in the number of sites and the size and complexity of those sites. Abri Castanet is a rockshelter located in the Vallon des Roches of the Dordogne region in France. Excavated first by pioneer archaeologist Denis Peyrony at the beginning of the 20th century, late 20th and early 21st century excavations conducted by Jean Pelegrin and Randall White have led to many new discoveries concerning the behaviors and life ways of Early Aurignacian occupations in Europe. Abri Castanet (France) Denisova Cave (Russia) Work cited Connor, Melissa A. Forensic Methods: Excavation for the Archaeologist and Investigator. Lanham, MD: Altamira Press, 2007. Print. Read More