AANT Final

Question 1

What is experimental archaeology and why do we do it?

Answer 1

Experiments conducted to replicate ancient objects or practices
- Fills in gaps left by other archaeological research methods

Must be done to answer a specific question and test a hypothesis about the past

-Must be replicable
-Information gained that can’t be learned from solely examining artifacts
-Test views expressed about the past from people outside of the culture who created it.

Question 2

What is cultural resource management and why is it important?

Answer 2

Archaeology associated with modern development. Where most archaeologists work. (aka a type of public archaeology)

e.g.
Documentary Shows and Articles
Heritage Resources
Interpretation for the Public
Repatriation

protects cultural heritage

Question 3

What are the different hypotheses for the development of state level societies?

Answer 3

Hydraulic Hypothesis: Wittfogel. Control of irrigation needs large labor organization and leadership to build and maintain. Led to wealth discrepancies, etc.

Internal conflict: Class/Hierarchy conflict

Warfare

population growth (think productivity)

Environmental Circumscription: like warfare, but with environmental limits considered.

External trade

Question 4

What is repatriation and why is it important?

Answer 4

return archaeological objects and human remains of indigenous groups to their rightful cultural or ethnic groups, often through museums and institutions

Question 5

What are the two major laws associated with the repatriation of Indigenous human remains and objects, what do they cover, and when were they enacted?

Answer 5

National Museum of the American Indian Act (1989)

necessary for the Smithsonian Institution to take an inventory of the Native American burial artifacts in its collections

Native American Graves and Repatriation Act (1990)

covers all federal agencies & institutions receiving federal funds, requiring them to repatriate Native American human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony

Question 6

Which groups are institutions required to repatriate things too?

Answer 6

federally recognized tribes
lineal descent
culturally affiliated groups

Question 7

What kinds of archaeological collections are covered under NAGPRA?

Answer 7

Remains of culturally affiliated individuals
Associated funerary objects
Unassociated funerary objects
Sacred objects
Objects of cultural patrimony
Remains of known individuals
Objects acquired illegally

Question 8

What are the processes involved in the repatriation of a sacred object or human remains?

Answer 8

Repatriation Request: Must come from an official representative of a federally recognized tribe.
This sets the documentation and research aspects into motion.

maybe inventory (descriptions) and consulting as well

Question 9

What are the differences we see in the archaeological record if change is due to migration or if it is due to diffusion?

Answer 9

Migration: New styles with no development, new Materials/ideas/people appear suddenly replacing the old,

Diffusion: change over time (slow), no replacement but things get incorporated over time, no changes in the human remains

Question 10

What is usewear and what can it tell us?

Answer 10

it is wear caused by repeated use of lithic tools

can tell us how long it was used, the tools function (hunting, crafting, etc.) and the material our ancestors found useful

Question 11

How do archaeologists analyze extraordinary claims about the past (i.e. pseudoarchaeology)?

Answer 11

can the claim be proven false?
body of scientific evidence?
support from archaeologists/peer reviewed?
Extraordinary claim?

Question 12

What is Occam’s Razor?

Answer 12

a problem-solving principle that says: The simplest explanation is usually the best one.

Question 13

What are the laws about excavating human remains in the U.S.?

Answer 13

Native American Graves and Repatriation Act (1990)

maybe

Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA, 1979)

cemetery laws

state laws

Question 14

What are megaliths and how can experimental archaeology be applied to their study?

Answer 14

large stone structures/monuments built by ancient peoples, often for religious, ceremonial, or burial purposes.

Exp Arch tells us: How were the stones moved? how were they shaped/carved? How long it took?

helps evaluate which theories are realistic and which are unlikely,

Question 15

What are the different biases that can affect how we interpret and study the cultures of the past?

Answer 15

Bias of..
-the archaeological record,
-conceptual frameworks,
-age,
-sex,
-nationality,
-ethnicity,
-training and education,
-time and place

Question 16

How can the procedures of NAGPRA benefit our knowledge of the past and the field of archaeology?

Answer 16

deeper cultural understanding
tribal collaboration
decolonizing the field

Question 17

What are the different ways that studying modern peoples can be beneficial?

Answer 17

Understanding the cultural continuity

Interpreting the archaeological record

testing theories of human knowledge

ethical research

Question 18

What are some ways that archaeology can benefit modern societies and our future?

Answer 18

understand how society functions,

learn from the past and apply those lessons to the present,

analyse the drivers and implications of a changing world

Question 19

examples of experimental archaeology

Answer 19

Metallurgy
Lithics
Ceramics
Megaliths
Arctic Drums
Kon-tiki

Question 20

what is pseudoarchaeology

Answer 20

the study, interpretation, and teaching of archaeology while rejecting, ignoring or misunderstanding archaeological methods or theory