Anthropology Midterm
Anthropology 250
March 13, 2012
Midterm
Section 1: Short Answer
2. List and briefly explain the three goals of archaeology. How do they apply and differ from the earlier paradigms of archaeology? * The three goals of archaeology are the study of culture history, reconstruct past life ways, and understand cultural processes. The study of culture history is to piece together the history of how culture changes over time. To reconstruct past life ways is a complex process that involves a good deal of analysis which is to figure out as much you can about the people who lived at a particular site or civilization. To understand cultural processes entails trying to figure out how and why material culture has changed which happens in three ways invention (innovation), diffusion (spread), migration (moving to a different place). The earlier ways paradigms of archaeology apply and differ from the three goals of archaeology are the theoretical framework, assumptions, the explanations and causes, and point of view. There are currently two major paradigms in archaeology which are post-processual and processual archaeology paradigms, but the two paradigms spoken in class are antiquarianism and reconstruction. Antiquarianism is the old paradigm which archaeologists use to go after the expensive items. Reconstruction is the new paradigm which archaeologists consider every artifact as important in relation to everything else to solve the puzzle.
4. Why is Alaska so important archaeologically? What theory prevailed until recently and what is your opinion about it? Why is it so hard to do archaeology in Alaska? * Alaska is so important archaeologically because Alaska is connected to Beringia (aka the land bridge) which connected Asia to Alaska. Beringia is the portal that migrated people searching for mammoth to the United States this theory is proven by scientists. But, apparently there are older sites in South America, Pittsburg, etc. In the 1930s or 1940s
March 13, 2012
Midterm
Section 1: Short Answer
2. List and briefly explain the three goals of archaeology. How do they apply and differ from the earlier paradigms of archaeology? * The three goals of archaeology are the study of culture history, reconstruct past life ways, and understand cultural processes. The study of culture history is to piece together the history of how culture changes over time. To reconstruct past life ways is a complex process that involves a good deal of analysis which is to figure out as much you can about the people who lived at a particular site or civilization. To understand cultural processes entails trying to figure out how and why material culture has changed which happens in three ways invention (innovation), diffusion (spread), migration (moving to a different place). The earlier ways paradigms of archaeology apply and differ from the three goals of archaeology are the theoretical framework, assumptions, the explanations and causes, and point of view. There are currently two major paradigms in archaeology which are post-processual and processual archaeology paradigms, but the two paradigms spoken in class are antiquarianism and reconstruction. Antiquarianism is the old paradigm which archaeologists use to go after the expensive items. Reconstruction is the new paradigm which archaeologists consider every artifact as important in relation to everything else to solve the puzzle.
4. Why is Alaska so important archaeologically? What theory prevailed until recently and what is your opinion about it? Why is it so hard to do archaeology in Alaska? * Alaska is so important archaeologically because Alaska is connected to Beringia (aka the land bridge) which connected Asia to Alaska. Beringia is the portal that migrated people searching for mammoth to the United States this theory is proven by scientists. But, apparently there are older sites in South America, Pittsburg, etc. In the 1930s or 1940s