Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Patterns in Prehistor > Test 1 > Flashcards

Test 1 Flashcards

(61 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

Archeology

A

the study of past human behavior based on surviving material

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Uniformitarianism

A

the principle that the same natural laws and processes that operate in the world now have always operated in the past and apply everywhere in the universe

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Catastrophism

A

the theory that in the past the Earth had experienced sudden, short-lived events that had formed mountain chains, etc.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Archeological Field Survey

A

the method by which archeologists collect information about the location, distribution, and organization of past human cultures across a large area, often in excess of many square miles

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Field Walking

A

the method of searching for artifacts without disturbing the site

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Crop Marks

A

crops grow differently because of underlying archeology

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Excavation

A

the exposure, recording, and recovery, of buried material remains

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Palynology

A

the study of pollen

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Seriation Studies

A

relative dating method in which artifacts are placed in chronological order based on style

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Dendrochronology

A

tree ring dating (present day- 8000 BC)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Radiocarbon dating

A

the measurement of the decay rates of carbon-14 atoms in

organic samples like charcoal, shell, wood, hair, and other materials.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Culture

A

a term used by anthropologists when referring to the non-biological characteristics unique to a particular society

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Processual Archeology

A

explains external factors for cultural change

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Unilinear Cultural Evolution

A

the concept that human societies evolve in a linear fashion (the notion of progress)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Multilinear Cultural Evolution

A

independent development of human groups in different parts of the world, determined by the success of adaptation to natural environment

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Band

A

Less than 100 people, informal leadership, mobile hunter gatherers, temporary camps, shamans (religion), temporary shelters, all paleolithic societies

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Tribe

A

Up to a few thousand, segmentary society, permanent villages, religious elders, permanent huts and burial mounds, all early farmers (Neolithic/Archaic)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Chiefdom

A

5,000-20,000+, hereditary leaders w/ high-ranking warriors, central accumulation and redistribution, some craft specialization, fortified centers, hereditary chief w/ religious duties, large scale monuments, formative societies

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

State-Organized Societies

A

Generally 20,000+, class-based hierarchy under king or emperor, centralized bureaucracy, tribute-based, taxation, laws, urban, pantheistic or monotheistic religion, palaces, temples, and other public buildings, all ancient civilizations- Rome, Greece, etc.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Past-processual Archeology

A

explains internal factors of cultural changes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Developments in Human Evolution

A

bipedalism, increase in brain size, tool making, reduction in sexual dimorphism, development of language

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Hominin

A

the group consisting of modern humans, extinct humans, and all human ancestors

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Punctuated Equilibrium

A

long periods of relative stability punctuated by rapid change

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Multilinear Biological Evolution

A

many different hominins

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Australopithecus Afarensis
"Lucy" (3.2 mya skeleton of female around 20 years old at time of death) found in Hadar Ethiopia on Nov. 24, 1974 by Maurice Taieb and Donald Johansen.
26
Oldowan Industry
earliest Homo technology (cobble tools). Occur in several sites in East Africa dating between 2.6 and 1.5 mya
27
Homo habilis
early homo ancestor dating between 2.33 to 1.44 mya
28
Homo ergaster
first true humans that came from Africa by 1.9 mya and diversified into three lineages of humans- homo erectus, homo neanderthalis, and homo sapiens.
29
homo erectus
evolved from homo ergaster in Asia around 1.7 mya and adapted to climate well and began using fire and more effective technologies.
30
Acheulian Hand Axes
created by homo erectus, these were a much more sophisticated hand axe dating to 230,000 years ago. It was a large bifacial flake formed from elaborately prepared core
31
Homo heidelbergensis
originated in Africa and spread to Europe. evolved from homo ergaster around 600,000 years ago.
32
Homo Neanderthalensis
descended from homo heidelbergensis and adapted to an extremely cold late Ice Age climate in 200,000 BP
33
Mousterian Technology
Mousterian flake tools provided about 30 inches of cutting edge- created by Neanderthals
34
Middle Paleolithic
"the middle stone age" from 300,000-40,000 BP
35
Multiregional Model
hypothesizes that human populations throughout the Old World evolved independently, first to archaic homo sapiens, then to fully modern humans.
36
Out-of-Africa Model
Homo sapiens evolved in one place (Africa), and then spread to all other parts of the Old World.
37
Homo Sapiens
in Africa as early as 160,000 BP but were not fully modern until 120,000 BP. Middle East- 95,000 BP. Asia- 68,000 BP. Europe- 45,000 BP. Australia- 45,000 BP
38
Anatomically Modern Humans
modern Human behavior emerges around 70,000 BP with fully developed language and art
39
Upper Pleistocene
period of last interglacial and glacial cycles of Ice age (126,000 BP to 12,000-10,000 BP)
40
Tundra
vast treeless regions w/ lots of permafrost
41
Upper Paleolithic
Europe from 40,000-10,000 BP. Archeological period. Starting around 48,000 BP there's art.
42
Last Glaciation
Weichsel (Europe)
43
Upper Paleolithic in Western Europe
People move around seasonally and congregate at larger sites. Development of art objects such as venus figurines (23,000 BP) and cave art (18,000 BP)
44
Upper Paleolithic in Eurasia
Possibly invented sewing, burned clay sculptures (27,000-25,000 BP), created bone houses, lower population density, and possible seasonal occupation
45
Upper Paleolithic in Siberia and Northeast Asia
Even lower population density, possible clues for settlement in the Americas, lived near river valleys and lakes, ivory figurines, Yana Rhinoceros Horn Site: 27,000- 25,000 BP
46
Clovis First Theory
11,200 years ago the sea levels were lower exposing more of the Earth's land shelf allowing people and animals to travel to the New World from Siberia to Alaska. Then near the end of the Ice Age there may have been a glacial free pass for them to migrate to the other 48 states.
47
Medowcroft Site
14,250 year old stone tool found indicating there were pre-clovis people
48
Mutiverday
12,500 year old evidence of human inhabitance
49
Lithics
any kind of stone tool
50
Chipped Stone
any flakes
51
Flintknapping
the actual making of stone tools
52
Nodule
the potential core
53
Core
the rock that's left after it's been flaked
54
Cortex
the rind that shows up on limestone that gives evidence to human tool making
55
Core Reduction
making the core smaller
56
Flake
piece of rock broken off from the core that is sharp
57
Percussion
hitting rocks
58
Pressure Flaking
breaking off pieces of rock
59
Retouching
refining the shape
60
Debitage
chipped stone
61
Genus
a principal taxonomic category that ranks above species and below family

Patterns in Prehistor (4 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions