Complete List of Terms and Definitions for Anth Exam

Terms Definitions
Tutankahmun ...
Anagenesis linear evolution
melanesia big man politics
acclimatization long-term physiological adjustments made in order to attain an equilibrium with a specific environmental stimulus
Mater One's socially recognized mother
lineage the descendants of one individual
state large-scaled society w/ strong centralized gov't & marked social stratification
osteology the study of skeletal material
material Culture unusual mammals and derived
Post-structuralism engaged approach that advocates breaking down unities, decentering and suversive practice
Egypt The Nile Valley. (8000-7000BP) wheat and barley, sheep, goats, and cattle introduced outside of Egypt.
gender the personal traits and social positions that members of a society attach to being female or male
Olduwan "pebble tools" Stone tool industry consisting of simple flaked tools; the first known tools in the archaeological record. Named for the Olduvai gorge where the tools were first discovered by Louis Leakey. Associated with Homo habilis. Found as early as 2.5 mya.
functionalism emphasized how institutions such as political organization and law promote social cohesion
Variation Differences in the genotype and phenotype of individual members of a species.
pahansu villages gujars are dominant (numerical majority, and control most of the land
Matrilineal Descent Descent traced through women only
mutation a molecular alternation in genetic material.
Interpretive Anthropologists contemporary theorists who analyze cultural elements by explicating their meanings to people and understanding them in their local context; generally emphasize cultural diversity and the unique qualities of particular cultures
Karyotype Karyotype- The characteristics of the chromosomes for an individual organism or a species, such as a #, sixe, and type
What hominid first controlled fire? homo erectus
physical/ biological Study humans from a biological perspective.
law formal rules of conduct that, when violated, effectuate negative sanctions
Totem Supposed entity that watches over or assits a group of people
kinship system the predominant form of kin relationships in a culture and the kinds of behavior involved
Accuracy a description of how close a measurement is to the true value of the quantity measured
sondage way to determine where to excavate, digging small test unit or soil coring
Oligocene Primates -the Oligocene yielded fossil remains of several species of early anthropoids
-by the early Oligocene continental drift had separated the New World from the Old World
-it has been suggested that late in the Eocene or very early in the Oligocene, the first anthropods arose in Africa and reached South America by "rafting" over the water separation on drifting chunks of vegetation
biostratigraphy a relative dating technique based on regular changes seen in evolving groups or animals as well as presence or absence of particular species
Carolus Linnaeus developed a method of classifying plants and animals, binomial nomenclature; put humans in classification of animals
Scientific Revolution 16th and 17th Century European scientists revolutionize, Circumnavigating the globe in 15th century
agency theory the actions that individuals take, both alone and in groups, in forming and transforming cultural identities
bilateral/cognatic descent kinship traced along both mother's line and father's line
Regulatory gene the gene that’s determines when structural genes and other regulatory genes are turned on and off for protein synthesis
hominid intelligence and brain size increase theorized as a result of benefits of navigating and foraging in a complex tropical forest ecosystem ecological intelligence
salivary a viscid, watery fluid, secreted into the mouth by the salivary glands, that functions in the tasting, chewing, and swallowing of food, moistens the mouth, and starts the digestion of starches.
Tanner Scenario -Infants born premature to adapt to change in pelvis
-infants take longer to learn to walk
-cant grab onto moms fur = carrying kids
hyssop a medicinal herb used in syria by people of the Unani (Islamic) tradition. alleviates asthma
Prehistoric Archaeology Field that uses excavation of sites and analysis of material remains to investigate cultures that existed before the development of writing
characteristics of culture: universal human functions eating, drinking, sleeping, eliminating
genetics the study of gene structure and action and the patterns of inheritance of traits from parent to offspring
Geological Method Using diagrams and symbols to record kin connections
Sororate A substitute (often a sister) for a wife if the wife dies young
fw methodkinship charts (families and networks) chart diff families
Local live w/ or near mom or dads side
Homo sapiens A species of human found throughout the world. The earliest Homo sapiens appeared about 500,000 years ago.
fictive kinship one becomes a kin because of certain rituals, such as adoption, baptism, initiation to a brotherhood, etc.
Taiwanese Minor Marriage sending young girls off to her perspective husbands family
Anthropology the study of the human species and its immediate ancestors
money a medium of exchange that can be used for a variety of goods
The Geneaological method the study of how people are related
organizing principles
1. kinship- who you're related to
2. descent- who your ancestors are
3. marriage- not definable cross-culturally
The Arboreal, Visual-Predation and Angiosperm Co-evolution Hypotheses Aboreal: Primates adapted features that favored living in trees. These included orbital frontation, grasping hands and feet, and enhanced cognitive processing. Visual-Predation: Arboreal predation accounted for grasping hands and feet, but particularly the increased visual overlap and brain size. Angiosperm Co-evolution: The increased exploitation of angiosperms selected for modern primate characteristics. “Enhanced visual acuity, color vision, and characteristics amenable to exploiting terminal branch resources all allowed for efficient acquisition of a resource with an angiosperm-like distribution. Additionally, the emergence of flowering plants in the Paleocene roughly coincides with the emergence of the earliest primate ancestors.”
silent trade a form of barter in which no verbal communication takes place
Family of Orientation Nuclear family in which one is born and grows up
What are the four sub disciplines of anthropology? Cultural, Archaeology, Linguistic, and Physical
1. Using the example of “Two Crows” and the alphabet discussed in class, explore the relationship between social facts and the cultural innovations of individuals. [What impact can an individual have on culture?] Social Facts: A way of acting (fixed or not) capable of exerting over the indiv an external constraint. General over a society with an existence of its own, indep of its indiv manifestations. Defined in law and custom, external, imposed/coerced, nec (some struc) 1) Direct (ex. direct sancion) 2) indirect (more subtle, ex. old manufacturing tech, no profits)
Polygyny 







 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 










at least two females and one male


cultural anthropology 







 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 











 
 focus on living existing societies and cultures, understand/
 make sense of societies, meaning and interpretation 
 



platyrrhins and catarrhines anthropoids
menarche the onset of menstruation
typically omnivorous, mostly terrestrial, have cheek pouches cercopithecines
economy system of production, distribution, and consumption of resources
Cline The gradually increasing (or decreasing) frequency of a gene from one end of a region to another.
r-selected adaptive strategies that emphasize large amounts of offspring and reduced parental care. Ex: guppies
Inbreeding mating with close genetic relatives
Uniquely human traits written communicationhabitual bipedalismcomplex language and culture
potlatch competitive feast on North Pacific Coast of North America
divination means of gaining information through the supernatural
Meiosis The process by which reproductive cells are formed. In this process of division, the number of chromosomes in the newly formed cells is reduced by half, so that hen fertilization occurs the resulting organism has the normal number of chromosomes appropriate to its species, rather than double hat number.
forensic anthropology an applied anthropological approach dealing legal matters. Forensic anthropologists work with coroners and others in identifying and analyzing human remains
cladistics an approach to classification that attempts to make rigorous evolutionary interpretations based solely on analysis of certain types of homologous characters (those considered to be derived characters)
Foraging An adaptive strategy reliant on hunting and gathering resources; characterized by a sexual division of labor and nomadic bands
most socially monogomous of higher primates, very vocal to show territory, long arms, extremely elongated fingers, short thumbs, suspensory shoulder designed for tree top life, frugivorous gibbons
Ethnic Boundaries perceived cultural attributes by which ethnic groups distinguish themselves
koro china and southeast asia, men --> beleif that penis has retracted into the body
Maroon Wars series of struggles between the British and the Jamaican Maroons, mid 1700s
Biological anthropology o Sub-field of anthropology
o Scientific study of the human species
Stratigraphy the study of how different rock formations and fossils are laid down in successive layers or strata. Older layers are generally deeper or lower than more recent layers.
Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire lived 1772-1844 anatomist and advocate of evolutionary change. argued with cuvier and supported lamarck
minimalism a mode of consumption that emphasizes simplicity, is characterized by few and finite consumer demands, and involves an adequate and sustainable means to achieve them
communication any act that conveys information, in the form of a message, to another individual. Frequently, the result of communication is a change in the recipient's behavior. Communication may not be deliberate, but may instead by the result of involuntary processes or secondary consequence of an intentional action
Modern humans More within group variation than between group
Adaptation process by which organisms cope with environmental forces and stresses
involves interaction between culture and biology
4 types:
1. genteic (many generations)
2. Long term physiological or developmental (one lifetime)
3. Short term- immediate physiological 
4. cultural, technological
independence training child rearing practices that teach children to be self-reliant individualsex.-potty training, tying shoes, doing chores, getting a job
Genetic Drift random changes in allele frequency occurring as a result of a decrease in population size
Natural Selection The mechanism of evolutionary change; changes in traits of living organisms that occur over time as a result of differences in reproductive success among individuals.
Bouri Formation -In Ethiopia
-1 mya
-Site where Homo erectus fossils were found
culture the set of learned behaviors and ideas that human beings acquire as members of a given society or community
social class a category of individuals in a stratified society who enjoy equal or nearly equal prestige according to the system of evvaluation
Monogamy The habit of pairing, or having but one mate.
Group selection Animals actively behave in ways that help the group: i.e., when overpopulated, they limit their reproduction- lemmings, antelope
Symbol 1. anything we can perceive with our senses that stands for something else; physical objects, colors, sounds, movements, or scents which convey information through an arbitrary or culturally assigned meaning
2. images, words, or behaviors that express ideas too complex to be stated directly
Linguistic anthropology the study of human languages, looking at their structure, history, and/or relation to social and cultural contexts a. Language allows people to preserve and transmit countless details of their culture from generation to generation b. Practiced in number of applied settings. Collaborated with indigenous communities and ethnic minorities in preserving or the revival of lost languages.
philopatric remaining in one's natal group or home range as an adult. In most species, members of one sex disperse from their natal group as young adults, and members of the philopatric sex remain. In most nonhuman primates species, the philopatric sex is female
Chauvet Cave Earliest known painted cave, dated to between 38k and 33k years ago. Located in France
social group recognized and named groups of people organized on basis of shared interests, with particular division of labor and shared sets of goals.
Balancing Selection is... where multiple alleles are selected for in a given population, maintaining genetic polymorphism
Gran Dolina -Area in Spain where oldest European hominid fossils (Homo antecessor) were found
-These fossils have Neandertal & homo sapien characteristics
conspicuous consumption a showy display of wealth for social prestige
factions in belize mt. hope is faction free; charleston has divisive factionalism. economic differences in these villages are important.
Function of Language allows speaker to modify thoughts ( and actions) of listener.
Language is a complex ADAPTATION with many supporting parts.
Modifications of throat and vocal apparatus.
Modifications of brain and cognitive apparatus.
Bergman’s rule : animals get bigger in colder, more northerly climates, again for thermoregulation
Franz Boas A German man who brought the birth of anthropology in the United states by studying the Inuit people and their relation ship to the land.
Charles Lyell (1797-1875) o Wrote the Principles of Geology
o Advisor to Darwin
Naive realism a notion that reality is much the same for all people everywhere.
stem group all of the taxa in a clade before a major speciation event. Stem groups are often difficult to recognize in the fossil record, since they don't often have the shared derived traits found in the crown group
State of Preservation (7 Traits) 1) Color; 2) texture 3) hydration 4) weight 5) condition 6) fragility 7) amount of soft tissue
Describe the relationship between DNA, amino acids, and proteins DNA is the recipe for making proteins, proteins are made up of amino acids.
Reciprocity
yanomamo dwellingq shabono
Reading: Rickets
Emic vs etic
hypothesis explanation of observable facts
Unilineal (patrilineal and Matrilineal) f
using supernatural techniques to accomplish specific aims magic
Dorset Paleo-Eskino culture characterized by small winter village sites consisting of large rectangular structures
Helminthes - Roundworms, hookworms, filarial worms, schistosomes, whip worm
promiscuous characterized by or involving indiscriminate mingling or association, esp. having sexual relations with a number of partners on a casual basis.
The ancestor of Haplorhines is probably the superfamily of Omomyoids
Margaret Mead Believes that peoples' adult personalities are related to the amount of contact they receive as children
Catastrophism View that extinct species were destroyed by fires, floods, and other catastrophes.
vasoconstriction narrowing of blood vessels, reduces heat loss
Archaeology studies material remains of past cultures to reconstruct human behavior
Values: Shared ideas about what is "good".
CONFLICT AVOIDANCE Prosocial behaviors, such as reconciliation, consolation, politeness, or apology, to repair social relationships without aggression
Evolution change in populations of organisms from one generation to the next. Can refer to changes in BOTH culture and biology. Anthropologists are interested in both cultural and biological evolution and in questions of when, how, why, where, who.
heterotopia a new situation formed from elements drawn from multiple and diverse contexts
lithostratigraphy the study of geologic deposits and their formation, stratigraphic relationships, and relative time relationships based on their lithologic (rock) properties
Marcel Mauss This French sociologist wrote the essay, The Gift, in which he argued that gift giving necessitates reciprocity, which in turn creates relationships of obligation and dependency between people.
rationalization when assesments of results of an accepted belief are inconsistent with what is expected and an explanation is sought rather than challenge the belief itself
Emic The research strategy that focuses on native explanations and criteria of significance.
Chatelperronian Tools Late, modern human influenced (?). Neanderthal lithic tech 45 kya.
Phenotype Refers to an organisms evident traits, its "manifest" biology, anatomy, and physiology.
Lepenski Vir impressive Mesolithic site along the Danube River in Serbia where structure, burials & sculptures were found
Types of Reciprocity • Generalized—a mode of exchange in which the value of what is given is not calculated, nor is the time of repayment specified. Gifts presented without immediate return. Gifts at a different value returned at a later time.• Balanced—a mode of exchange in which the giving and receiving are specific as to the value of the goods and the time of their delivery. Gifts given, and returned quickly with gift of equal value: fish for yams.• Negative—a form of exchange in which the aim is to get something for as little as possible. Neither fair nor balanced, it may involve hard bargaining, manipulation, and outright cheating. One trading partner attempts to get more out of the exchange, often through trickery.• extended (not in text)—when A gives to B, B gives to C, C gives to D and then maybe back to A.
what society was still considered in the stone age by the time of mid 1800s tasmanians
Parthenon (Elgin) Marbles (ex of Imperialist ARCH)originally from Athens, Greece & brought to British Museum (1806) & now want it returned
diversifying selection selection against the average values of a trait's range and for the extremes (much less common than stabilizing/directional selection)
accomplice a person who knowingly helps another in a crime or wrongdoing, often as a subordinate.
relative rate test a means of determining whether molecular evolution has been occurring at a constant rate in two lineages by comparing whether these lineages are equidistant from an outgroup
Patrilocality when a couple marries, they move to the husband's father's community so that the children grow up in that community. Patrilocality is associated with patrilineal descent
Political ecology ways in which human groups struggle with one another for control of material resources
Middle-Range Research looks at processes that can be observed in the present and that can serve as a point of reference to test hypotheses about the past
Ambilineal Descent -Type of descent in which individuals can select to trace descent either matrilineally or patrilineally
1.8 million The Pleistocene ice age began about ___ years ago.
female - One of the five sexes- Well represented in society
The most distantly procured marine shell at Spiro Mounds came from as far away as _____________________.A) the Caribbean SeaB) the Pacific OceanC) the Arctic OceanD) the Gulf of MexicoE) the Atlantic Ocean the pacific ocean
Probate certification by a court that a will is valid (will includes status, wealth, household composition, etc.)
ethnomusicology The study of a society's music in terms of its cultural setting.
preempt to occupy (land) in order to establish a prior right to buy.
shared among a population, socially transmitted Defining characteristics of culture:
4 types of loans 1. General loans
2. Seasonal loans
3. House loan
4. Group fund loans
Weeden Island The ___ cultural complex was among the first in North America to adopt maize as a staple crop.
the myth of the ___ flourished and lingered in the european mind for generations after their glorious excursions across the pages of hawkesworth's publication of cook's voyage noble savage
The period of cultural evolution in which humans first entered North America is known as the ______________.A) Lower PaleolithicB) Upper PaleolithicC) NeolithicD) MesolithicE) Middle Paleolithic B) Upper Paleolithic
roam to walk, go, or travel without a fixed purpose or direction; ramble; wander; rove:
Guinea Pig and Turkey Two of the early domesticated animals in the New World
smallpox and other diseases What major force decimated the eastern Indian nations around the time the first Euroamericans were arriving?
The widespread archaeological and linguistic homogeneity of the Eastern Subarctic has been explained by ____________________.A) extensive and overlapping social networksB) the low population density of the areaC) the isolating characteristics A) extensive and overlapping social networks
1. More formal architecture. (symmetry, classical proportions)
2. Matched sets of dishes
3. Burying trash in formal trash pits 		According to Deetz, which of the following are material reflection of the major shift in world-view that characterized the mid-eighteenth century Anglo-American society? (i.e. Georgian order)
What good does religion do? - provides connection with the sacred- helps create/maintain social cohesion- maintains central values of a culture- controls anxiety about life experience
caused by the way animals are raised (large breasts in chickens and turkeys cause bone problems and broken legs, inflammation of cow udders, nervous and repetitive movements in animals kept in close confinement) 1997 Treaty of Amsterdam
Reading: The five sexes- Anne Fausto-Sterling - Western culture is deeply committed to the idea that there are two sexes- Argues that the three intersexes deserve to be considered additional sexes each in its own right- Argus that sex is a vast, infinitely malleable continuum that defies the constraints of even five categories- 55% of herms have a more masculine physique- Discussion of Emma: has a vagina, but also a clitoris the size of a penis
13. What is repressive change? How is Trobriand cricket a response to repressive change? To illustrate your answer, discuss THREE ways that Trobriand Islanders have merged cricket into existing traditions and changed it into a political competition. Repressive Change: People don’t always have the liberty to make their own
choices and changes are forced upon them by some other
group, e.g., through conquest and colonialism.

Acculturation: Cultural changes that people are forced to make as a consequence of intensive, firsthand contact between societies.

Ethnocide: Violent eradication of an ethnic group’s cultural identity.

Genocide: Extermination of one people by another, either as a deliberate act or as an outcome of activities carried out by people with little regard for their impact on others.

Responses to Repressive Change
Trobriand Cricket: When British missionaries pressed Trobriand Islanders to celebrate their yam harvests with a game of cricket rather than traditional “wild” dances, Trobrianders transformed the British sport and merged it into existing traditions and sensibilities.

Syncretism: The creative blending of indigenous and foreign beliefs and practices into new cultural forms.

Hybridity: New transcultural forms produced through colonization that cannot be neatly classified into a single cultural or ethnic category.
Where did many Ancestral Pueblo migrants move? the upper Rio Grande region of New Mexico
The ancestors of the Navajo and Apache peoples:A) Were present in the Greater Southwest by 1000 CE.B) Expelled the Ancestral Pueblo people from the Greater Southwest by military means.C) were early Spanish-speaking colonists.D) Displaced o E) occupied vacant areas abandoned by settled villagers after 1500 CE.