| Question | Answer |
| 5 subdisciplines of anthropology | 1. archaeology
2. physical/biological anthropology
3. linguistics
4. cultural anthropology
5. applied anthroplogy |
| Archaeology | Looks at the material culture of past human behavior
• Food production
• Technology
• Settlement patterns
• Identity
Can also be divided into
• Prehistoric Archaeology
• Historic Archaeology |
| Paleoanthropology | deals with human evolution |
| primatology | looks at non-human primates as models for evolution |
| Biocultural Anthropology and Genetics | looks as human variation, contemporary population studies, and the study of skeletons and teeth |
| Cultural Anthropology | Studies contemporary cultures and the diversity of culture through time and space
Also looks at
• Ethnographic fieldwork
• Cross-cultural similarities: Big picture |
| applied anthropology | The practical application of anthropological techniques, methods, and theory
Examples:
• Medical anthropology/public health
• Forensic anthropology
• Cultural resources management |
| anthropology | the study of humans as biological organisms, dealing with the emergence and evolution of humans and with contemporary biological variations among human populations |
| scientific knowledge | not based on traditional (folk) wisdom, but it is based on the natural observable world. It is broadly applicable (cross-cultural) and you can generate a hypothesis using this type of knowledge |
| scientific method | Uses observable testable data to generate a prediction and thus a hypothesis |
| hypothesis | a testable proposition about a natural phenomenon |
| theory | hypothesis that holds up to repeated testing over a very long period of time |
| Great Chain of Being | • Life forms were “fixed” and all forms found on Earth were placed there by god
o Exploration changed these perceptions |
| Law of Superposition | Nicholas Steno argued that the earth’s sediments were deposited in layers from oldest to youngest |
| Carolus Linnaeus | Developed a taxonomy of living species
• Based on structure and form
His major contributions were
• Classification
• Nomenclature |
| Erasmus Darwin | believed all life originated in the sea and that we all had a common ancestor |
| Jean Baptiste Lamarck | • Individuals respond to environment
• Law of inheritance and Acquired Characteristics (Use and Disuse) |
| Charles Darwin | English naturalist who, at the age of 22, began fiver years of travel on the HMS Beagle
Based on observations, he suggested that species descended from other species under the influence of environmental factors |
| Variational Evolution | In each generation, more offspring are produced than can possibly survive. These offspring exhibit variation some of these variations are better suited (i.e. more fit) for survival |
| evolution | A change in allele frequency from one generation to the next
• Allele frequencies are indicator of the genetic makeup of an interbreeding group of individuals known as a population |
| natural selection | provides directional change in allele frequency relative to specific environmental factors. If the environment changes, selection pressures also change. |
| mutation | a molecular alteration in genetic material. For a mutation to have evolutionary significance it must occur in a gamete (sex cell). Such mutations will be carried on to one of the individual’s chromosomes |
| gene flow | the exchange of genes between populations. If individuals move temporarily and mate in the new population, they may not necessarily remain in the population. |
| genetic drift | directly related to population size. Occurs when some individuals contribute a disproportionate share of genes to succeeding generations. Drift may occur solely because the population is small |
| primates | group that contains prosimians (including lemurs, lorises, galagos and tarsiers) and simians (monkeys and apes). |
| Humans | areare Anthropoids, Hominoids, and Primates |
| What does it mean to be mammal? | Four chambered heart
Endothermic (able to regulate our own body temperature)
Ability to lactate and feed young |
| When do primates appear? | 65 million years ago (Cenozoic period) right at the end of the dinosaurs dying out, |
| Reliance on vision | Snout reduction, Reduces sense of smell, Eyes frontally rotated, Stereoscopic vision (we have depth/distance perception)
• Not fully developed in prosimians |
| Prosimians | Lemurs. Have eyes that are further apart, Bigger ears, More pronounced snout, Scent marking, Eyes vulnerable on the side |
| New World Monkeys | arboreal and have a prehensile tail. Eyes closer together, Reduced ears and snout, Eyes protected by socket |
| Manual dexterity | opposable thumb, all primates have this |
| power grip | simple grasping motion (like holding a water bottle) |
| precision grip | sewing, typing, writing, playing an instrument (this is only present in higher primates) |
| Major Divisions of Primates | prosimi (lemurs) and anthropoids (new world monkeys, old world monkeys, and apes) |
| Pongo | orangutans |
| Pan | chimpanzees and bonobos |
| old world monkeys | ground dwelling, tail used for balance. example: baboon |
| Hominoids | apes. no external tail, specialized Y5 dental cusp, Incisors for nipping and biting, Canines (tearing and shredding), Pre-molars. can rotate arms all the way around |
| knuckle walking | locomotive pattern of primates such as the chimpanzee and gorilla in which the weight of the upper part of the body is supported on the thickly padded knuckles of the hands |
| Defining Human Behavior | 1. Tool making
2. Language
3. Hunting large animals
4. Completely terrestrial
5. Gender-role specialization
6. Long offspring dependency period |
| Hominids | a group of hominoids (apes) that includes humans and direct ancestors |
| Distinctive Hominid Traits | Fully bipedal
Power and precision grip
Large and complex brain, particularly in the cerebral cortex
Females may engage in intercourse year round
Female-male bonding
Teeth reflect omnivorous diet |
| Primate Behavior | Learning
Tools
Predation and hunting
Aggression and resources
Sharing and cooperation
Mating and kinship |
| Key Features of Early Hominids | 1. Bipedal and varies in strategies
2. Relatively small brains compared to Homo
3. Large teeth, particularly the back teeth (Ardi)
4. Thick to very thick enamel on the molars |
| Major Hominid Clades | • Basal hominids (Ardipithecus)
• Gracile (Australopithecine)
• Robusts (often called Paranthropus) |
| Bipedal Adaptation | Traits in the skeleton that tell us about walking erect
• Spine connects at the base of the skull instead of the back
• Hips more bowl shaped
• Change in pelvis shape
• Change in foot structure
• Angle of the femur comes in and down |
| Hominid Dental Adaptations | Midfacial flattening
Reduction of canines
Gradual loss of diastema
Shape of dental arcade |
| Top reasons that Hominids walked upright | Hands are free for carrying
Thermoregulation (cooling)
Visual surveillance/predation
Long-distance walking |
| relative dating | determines only whether an object is older or younger than other objects |
| Stratigraphy: | type of relative dating. based on the law of superposition, that a lower stratum (layer) is older than a higher stratum |
| Chronometric (absolute) dating | provides an estimate of age in years based on radioactive decay |
| Potassium/argon (K/Ar) dating: | involves the decay of potassium into argon gas. K/Ar have a half like of 1.25 billion years |
| Carbon 14 Dating | a radiometric method commonly used by archeologists. Carbon 14 has a half-life of 5730 years |
| Pilo-Pleistocene Hominids: | 200 specimens from South Africa and 300+ from East Africa
Divided into 4 broad groupings
• Set 1: Basal Hominids – Ardipithecus ramidus
• Set 2: Australopithecus/Paranthrops
• Set 3: Early Homo |
| Ardipithecus Ramidus | Adaptation to a mosaic environment
• Bipedal but not like Australopithecine
• Terrestrial and arboreal
• Diet is more omnivorous (more than chimps)
• Sexual dimorphism not marked
• Small canines and honing triad
o Pair bonding?
o Less male aggress |
| Australopithecus afarensis | "Lucy" and Dikika baby
Large canines, larger than ramidus
420cc brain case (larger)
Lower body is very bipedal
Foramen magnum more straight under skull
Femur is humanlike
4ft tall and 75lbs on average
Sexual dimorphism
Fingers very different from |
| Laetoli (footprint) | 3. 5 to 3.7 million years ago
75-foot tail of footprints walking side by side
• Evidence of walking upright
• Volcanic eruption that caused the ground to be covered in ash
• Shows evidence on an in line big toe |
| Paranthropus boisei “zinj” | Sagital crest for attachment of muscles
Post-orbital constriction
Relatively smaller brain case
Very different teeth
• Very large flat molars
• Vegetarian
• Adapted for also chewing seeds and nuts
o There is also a South African version |
| Australopithecus africanus | Found in South Africa
Taung baby
• Fossilized brain
Mrs. Ples (2 mya) |
| Homo erectus | For the first time, fossils are found outside of Africa
1.8 to 400,000 mya
Cranial size 900 to 1,000cc
Sagital keel
Hump of bone instead of ridge
Brow ridges
Decreased postorbital constriction
Base of the skull is very flat |
| Neanderthals | 130,000 to 28,000 years ago
Found in 1856 in the Neander Valley in Germany
Glacial period caused extreme adaptations
Tool use and burial of the dead |
| Anatomically Modern Homo sapiens | Definite chin
Flat forehead
Sexual dimorphism
Males have more developed brow ridges
1,200 cc cranial capacity
Rounded cranial vault |
| Paranthropus robustus: | the nutcracker |
