Anthropology the study of humans through time and space

Archaeology the study of human history and prehistory through the excavation of sites and the
analysis of artifacts and other physical remains

Biological Anthropology the study of human biological variation in time and space

Applied Anthropology Application of anthropological theory, perspectives, data, and

methods to identify, assess, and solve contemporary issues

Cultural Anthropology the study of human society and culture - they describe, analyze,
interpret, and explain social and cultural similarities and differences

society the aggregate of people living together in a more or less ordered community

Proto-anthropology A term used to describe the earliest anthropological writings

Cultural Relativism the idea that a person's beliefs, values, and practices should be understood
based on that person's own culture, rather than be judged against the criteria of another

Cultural Adaptation the process and time it takes a person to integrate into a new culture and
feel comfortable within it

Enculturation the gradual acquisition of the characteristics and norms of a culture or group by a
person, another culture, etc

Infrastructure the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g. buildings,
roads, power supplies) needed for the operation of a society or enterprise

Horticulture the art or practice of garden cultivation and management

Agriculture the science or practice of farming, including cultivation of the soil for the growing
of crops and the rearing of animals to provide food, wool, and other products.

Culture is a society's shared and socially transmitted ideas, values, emotions, and
perceptions

Characteristics of Culture Culture is learned, shared, based on symbols, integrated, dynamic

Franz Boas Father of American Anthropology, developed the term of Cultural Relativism

Symbols Sounds, gestures, marks, and other signs that are linked to something else and
represents it in a meaningful way

Social Structure The rule governed relationships that help to hold members of a society
together (households, families, government, community organizations, etc.)
Superstructure A society's shared sense of identity and worldview

Classical Greek and Roman works First evidence of Anthropology-esque theoretical analyses

Herodotus Aimed to chronicle the Greco-Persian Wars in History of Histories

Al-Biruni Wrote about people of the Indian subcontinent. Studies customs and religion.
Engaged in Participant Observation Comparative studies

Enlightenment Systematic study of human behavior. Society was viewed natural phenomena that
behaved according to certain principles. All societies passed through the same evolutionary
process

Post-Enlightenment Became a distinct discipline, breaking away from the natural history,
philosophy, and classical history approaches to the study of humans. Focus shifted to non-
western culture groups and civilizations (the "other").

New-Imperialism Period Study of the exotic "other", Human zoos, Ota Benga, "missing
link" between an orangutan and the "white race"

E.B. Tylor Developed the first working definition of culture. "that complex whole, which
includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits
acquired by [humans] as [members] of society."

Cultural Diffusion The spread of culture

Evolution The transformation of a species

Founder Effect the reduced genetic diversity which results when a population is
descended from a small number of colonizing ancestors

Creationism The belief that biological similarities and differences originated at the Creation of
the world by God. Biological characterics were unchangeable

Usher and Lightfoot Used the Bible's stories to determine date of creation
October 23, 4004 B.C. at 9:00am
Actual Age: Roughly 4.4 billion years old

Carolus Linnaeus Developed the first classification system for plants and animals (grouped
based on similar characteristics)

Fossil Discovery Raised doubts about creationism. Why aren't ancient species still around?

Catastrophism Modified explanation for the origin of species. Fires, floods, and other
catastrophes destroyed ancient species
Charles Lyell Principle of Uniformitarianism, Influenced Charles Darwin & evolutionary theory

Uniformitarianism The belief that the natural forces at work today also explain past events

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck Lamarckism (Use/disuse theory)

Lamarckism An organism can pass on characteristics to its offspring that it has acquired during
its lifetime.

Charles Darwin Natural Selection

Genotype An organism's Hereditary makeup

Phenotype Expressed physical traits

Know the timeline In order, focus on Enlightenment and Post-Enlightenment

Mutation Permanent genetic alteration

Body farms A body farm is a research facility where decomposition can be studied in a variety
of settings.

Genetic Drift The change in the frequency of a particular characteristic

Gene Flow(migration)Transfer of characteristics from one population to another through

immigration

Hominids Member of the taxonomic family that includes humans, African apes, and their
immediate ancestors

hominid characteristics Bipedal - temperature control helps with food gathering greater
field of vision
Intelligent - Large Brain
Tool Use

Hominins Members of the HUMAN lineage after its split from ancestral chimps. All the
human species that ever existed, including the extinct ones

Advantages of bipedalism Allows to see over tall Savannah grasses. Thermoregulation. Frees
forelimbs for tool use, foraging, and protection. Energy-efficient compared to knuckle-walkers.

Evidence for bipedalism Cranial, pelvic, limb and dental evidence for bipedalism

Primatology Study of primates and their physical and cultural adaptations

Oldowan tools Appears ~2.6 MYA
Oldest known tool industry.
Earliest evidence of cultural
behavior. Choppers, scrapers, and pounders

Achulean Tools Allowed for the exploitation of meat and marrow resources to supplement
a plant-based diet.
Distinctive pear-shape handaxes.

New World Monkeys Flat-nosed

Can have prehensile tails (graspable)
3 premolars
Limited/lacking thumb movement
Male-involvement in infant care
Arboreal habitat

Old World Monkeys Down-facing nose

2 premolars
No prehensile tail
Sitting pads
Opposable thumbs
Fingernails
Rare male involvement in infant care
Wide range of habitats

Adaptation The process organisms undergo to achieve

a beneficial adjustment to a particular environment

Subsistence Patterns Hunter gatherer, horticulture and agriculture, pastoralism

Economic System An organized arrangement for producing, distributing, and consuming

goods

Reciprocity The exchange of goods and services, of approximately equal value between two
parties

Altruism The belief in or practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of
others

Trade Transaction where two or more people are involved in an exchange of things of roughly
equal value

Barter Trade without the involvement of currency

conspicuous consumption The spending of money on and the acquiring of luxury goods and
services to publicly display economic power
Potlatch Ceremonial event where a village chief publically gives away food and goods to
signify wealth

Social Issue A condition that is found to be undesirable by some people in a community

Study order yuh