Approaches to Archaeology (ANTH 3023) Fall 2007

Review Questions for Final Exam Social Organization (Chapter 5) 1) Describe Elman Services scheme of social complexity. If we were to accept these categories (which many anthropologists find problematic), how might we be able to identify these differing levels of complexity in the archaeological record? 2) How can changing spatial patterning of settlements (at a regional scale) suggest changes in social organization over time? (e.g., Central Place Theory) 3) What is a segmentary society? How would we identify one in the archaeological record? What is an example of one? 3) How do progressive changes in the scale and complexity of ancient monuments found in southern England suggest changes in social organization? Over what time period did these changes take place? (long barrow, Megalith, Avebury, henge) 4) What distinguishes chiefdoms from states or empires? How is the development of a chiefdom evidenced in the scale of monuments and the contents of burials at the site of Moundville, Alabama? (Mississippian, Cahokia, Spiro, Southern Ceremonial Complex, cluster analysis) 5) Compare and contrast the development of complex state level societies in Mesoamerica and Mesopotamia. Art and Religion (Chapter 10) 1) What is a symbol, and can symbolic systems be distinguished from more banal representations in the archaeological record? How do stone tools reflect symbolic systems for organizing ideas? 2) What features of prehistoric buildings or sites do archaeologists look for in order to determine if they had a ritual function in antiquity? Provide some specific examples (Lascaux, Chavin, Lanzon, Ain Ghazal). 3) When was art first produced? What are some examples of the worlds first works of art? Were they made by specialists? Do they reveal anything about the belief systems of ancient communities? Discuss these questions as they relate to Paleolithic cave paintings of southern Europe. 4) To what extent can the symbolic systems and ritual practices of ancient communities be reconstructed on the basis of archaeological evidence alone? How would we go about doing this?

Approaches to Archaeology (ANTH 3023) Fall 2007

Explanation (Chapter 12) 1) Why is explaining the reasons for changes evident in the archaeological record one of the most difficult and problematic aspects of archaeology? 2) Give an example of a Processual explanation in archaeology. Give an example of a Post-Processual explanation. 3) State Formation is one of the major topics addressed in archaeology. What is meant by state formation in general terms? What is a pristine state? What theories have been proposed to help explain why and how states form? (For more on this, read pgs. 508-516 on the rise of the Zapotec in Oaxaca, Mexico) 4) What kinds of questions do dynamic modeling techniques (like those we used in Lab) enable archaeologists to investigate that they otherwise could not? Are these techniques problematic in any way? 5) Discuss the environmentally based theories regarding the collapse of the Akkadian Empire in northern Mesopotamia. Why do some archaeologists find these theories unsatisfactory? Ownership and Management (Chapter 14) 1) What are the issues surrounding the ownership of the Parthenon marbles? What are the merits of both sides? How is this issue emblematic of the larger question regarding ownership of the past? Which side do you think has a better argument and why? 2) Indian Jones fought Nazis and collectors throughout the trilogy to see that ancient objects be placed in museums, but today many people believe that western museums are part of the colonial enterprise and that their collections are simply another means of exploitation and domination. Should museums return artifacts to their country of origin? Why or why not? 3) What measures has the federal government taken to protect American Indian burials and other cultural artifacts? Are these measures effective? (UNESCO World Heritage Convention, CRM, NAGPRA, Kennewick Man) 4) Explain this statement: Collectors are the real looters