Syllabus: Human and Tutorial Assignments

The article on ‘Bioarchaeology’s Geeky Side’ discusses how bioarchaeologists follow a genetic trail which helps them reconstruct reproduction patterns as well

Review: Lieberman, L. (2001). How “Caucasoids” Got Such Big Crania and Why They Shrank: From Morton to Rushton, Current Anthropology,42 (1): 69-95.

Knudson KJ, Williams SR, Osborn R, Forgey K, Williams PR. 2009. The geographic origins of Nasca trophy heads using strontium, oxygen, and carbon isotope data. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 28:244–257.

The Paleolithic humans who created the art in the Chauvet Cave are some of the world’s earliest historians. Capturing the imagery of the animals of their time has broadened the modern human understanding of a time lost. The true purpose of the Chauvet Cave will never be known but many inferences have been made since the discovery.

Stone, Tanya Lee, “The Good, The Bad and The Barbie: History and Impact on Modern Culture.” Viking Juvenile (2010)

Conkey, M.W. and Spector, J.D. (1984) ‘Archaeology and the Study of Gender,’ Advances in Archaeological Method and Theory 7:1–38.

About two years ago, scientists spelunked their way through the “Rising Star Cave” in Johnanesburg, South Africa, hoping to find fragments of the creatures who had lived there eras before. They found more than they had ever imagined—more than 1,550 bones in a one square yard area—and soon realized that the specimens seemed humanlike. They’d discovered an ancient human ancestor.

Anthropologists are continuously exploring the far corners of the world in search of answers to how everything came to be and the process by which we as humans appeared on this planet. This is a difficult task and therefore, there are many branches of anthropology which strive to discern the pieces of the puzzle from different perspectives and approaches. Through the implementation of the scientific method, anthropologists have tested numerous hypotheses to create theories like the Theory of Evolution. First documented by Darwin, natural selection, the process by which a more fit individual survives and passes on their adaptive traits, has been discovered to play a crucial role in the evolution of

When you first arrived in this prehistoric world, you didn’t do so alone. The Professor is your partner in studying this newly found land and its inhabitants, and together you will uncover many of its secrets. The Professor is a man of science, and lucky for you, he’s always ready to offer up a new quest to help move you further along the game’s storyline.

Caleb L. Fry and Lauren T. Rios Department of Anthropology Lake Tahoe Community College One College Drive South Lake Tahoe, California 96150 USA Faculty Advisor: Daryl G. Frazetti Abstract

Prior to entering Introduction to Archaeology I had almost no knowledge about hominin evolution. The only idea I had about hominin evolution is the single line of an ape that evolves into a human. For me personally I did not see the relevance of hominin evolution, I believed that evolution did happen, for example; Darwin's findings on the Galapagos Islands with how finch beaks change depending on the diet. I believe that evolution does occur, what I struggled with was the hominin evolution. Prior to class

Evolutionary theory is an important part of physical anthropology as it helps the researchers to have a solid

Anthropology proves to be satisfying and intellectually fulfilling to many in the field. However, there are also many challenges and bumps in the road along the way. Napolean A. Chagnon and Claire Sterk faced many of these challenges themselves.

Anthropology is not a word that crosses people’s minds very often, and when it does, it is most often associated with treasure-hunting and dinosaurs. Those who have a vague idea of what anthropology – that is, the study of human past and all that entails – and its subfield, archaeology is, often think of both as one-dimensional fields, when in reality, they are so much more. Anthropology is a multi-disciplinary field of study combining various sciences, social and otherwise, to work together to paint a complete picture of humankind, one of the most complex species to ever walk on the planet, while archaeology is the study of human past through material remains. It is, therefore, ridiculous to assume that such a tall order can be accomplished by any single discipline. One of the most significant methods of verifying information in anthropology is chemical analysis, which can be used in a variety of ways. This essay will compare and contrast the use of analytical methods to investigate the bronze artifacts associated with the Xiongnu and pre-Xiongnu period with those used to analyze the chemical compositions of volcanic rocks for adze production in late precontact Hawaiian archaic states and what the findings imply. Both analyses use energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy to determine the chemical contents of the artifacts to understand their

The first article will focus in assembling a comprehensive dataset of the available Paleo-Central American archaeological corpus. Specifically, it will: (1) generate a preliminary descriptive synthesis of the various Paleoamerican sites; (2) analyze lithic typologies, describe the assemblages of the isthmus and compare them to South and North American technocomplexes; (3) submit the lithic data to the to Paleoindian Database of the Americas (http://pidba.utk.edu/maps.htm); and (4) document potential culturally modified late Pleistocene megafaunal remains in the region. The compilation of information will be conducted through bibliographic review, first hand documentation of museum and private collections available, visits to available