Q&A Hero

Q: In 1572 Matthew Parker, Queen Elizabeth's archbishop of Canterbury, formed the Society of Antiquaries, devoted to the study of Anglo-Saxon law and writings. The Society of Antiquaries used ancient documents to demonstrate that William the Conqueror did not actually create English Common Law. King James ordered the dissolution of the Society in 1614. These events best exemplify a. "Restoring the dead to life" remains a fair definition of the everyday business of archaeology. b. The overall goal of British antiquarianism was to map, record, and preserve national treasures c. The study of the past is often controversial. d. The history of archaeology reflects a changing relationship to ancient objects.

Q: Archaeologists are often involved with the general public because: a. Archaeology is of tremendous public interest; the public wants to know about the past. b. Archaeology depends on public support for its livelihood, and so consequently it owes something back to the public. c. Both A and B. d. None of the above; archaeologists avoid the public because the public might loot their sites.

Q: Kathleen A. Deagan provides an example of the "coming of age" of archaeology because: a. She is actively involved in bringing archaeology to the public. b. She is concerned with explaining social and cultural behaviors that she reconstructs from artifacts. c. Her research has helped establish historical archaeology as an anthropologically relevant specialty of archaeology. d. All of the above.

Q: Gertrude Caton-Thompson made significant contributions to archaeology because: a. She felt that archaeologists should focus their research on the artifacts found in tombs and temples, and spent her entire career devoted to their study. b. She felt that much could be learned by studying settlements and was the first archaeologist to excavate a village site in Egypt. c. She believed that archaeologists were responsible for protecting themselves in the field and slept with a revolver beside her pillow. d. None of the above.

Q: Which of the following statements is true of the state of archaeology in the twenty-first century? a. The "New Archaeology" of the 1960s has for the most part been uncritically accepted by nearly all archaeologists, and currently dominates archaeological thought. b. Archaeology is today very diverse, representing many different theoretical perspectives; there is no single, defining, dominating trend. c. Whatever public interest and involvement that archaeology once experienced has dramatically diminished; archaeology as a discipline is at the risk of extinction. d. Archaeology today, as it was throughout the entire history of archaeology, is heavily dominated by white males, with virtually no involvement by woman and other minorities.

Q: The "New Archaeology" of the 1960s: a. Insisted on the contribution of archaeology to general anthropological theory. b. Advocated the importance of scientific methods. c. Argued that archaeologists should always work from representative samples. d. All of the above.

Q: The "New Archaeology" of the 1960s: a. Was actually not new at all; it marked a continuation of the same way archaeology had been practiced for many decades, and provides only an arbitrary temporal division in the history of archaeology. b. Was an approach that emphasized the understanding of underlying cultural processes and the use of the scientific method. c. Is sometimes called processual archaeology today. d. Both B and C

Q: The person most responsible for the development and popularization of the "New Archaeology" in the 1960s was: a. Walter W. Taylor. b. Lewis R. Binford. c. H. Marie Wormington. d. Kathleen A. Deagan.

Q: Culture history is: a. The kind of archaeology practiced during Renaissance times, primarily focused on the reconstruction of classical civilizations. b. A breakthrough in archaeological thought that rejected simple descriptions of cultural development through time for more comprehensive interpretations of past lifeways. c. The kind of archaeology practiced during the early to mid-20th century, in which changes in artifact frequencies through time were explained by diffusion of ideas or migration of people. d. The kind of archaeology most frequently practiced today by Americanist archaeologists.

Q: H. Marie Wormington is an important character in the development of Americanist archaeology during the first half of the 20th century because: a. She illustrates how difficult it was for a woman to break into the male-dominated field of Americanist archaeology at that time; although well-qualified to conduct archaeological research, she was never given the opportunity. b. She is an example of a female pioneer in Americanist archaeology, and her contributions are still considered important today. c. She shows that although women were interested in archaeology during this time, they simply weren"t yet ready to participate in archaeological research; Wormington's research was irrelevant and scientifically unsound. d. She illustrates that although women were not yet permitted to conduct archaeological research during this time, they were still important in the field during excavations as camp cooks and logistical organizers.

Q: The contribution of women to the development of archaeology is best summed up by which statement? a. Women contributed nothing; it wasn"t until the 1960s during the fight for civil rights that any women were accepted into the archaeological community and allowed to conduct archaeological research. b. Women contributed very little; archaeological research was completely dominated by men throughout the development of archaeology, and is still heavily dominated by men today. c. Although women did contribute to the development of archaeology, their contributions are less well-known than those of men because they were excluded from traditional communication networks. d. Throughout the development of archaeology, the contributions of men and women have been roughly equal, and these contributions are equally as well known today; this is a testament to the early development of women's rights in America.

Q: Jens Jacob Asmussen Worssae was considered to be: a. An historian who studied Anglo-Saxon law and writings. b. An antiquarian who was interested in collecting objects rather than learning about them. c. The first professional archaeologist. d. The originator of the new archaeology movement of the 1960's.

Q: The teamwork approach used by A.V. Kidder at Chichen Itza is termed: a. Pan-Scientific. b. Processual archaeology. c. Culture history. d. New archaeology.

Q: A. V. Kidder (1886-1963) demonstrated that potsherds are archaeologically important because they can provide evidence of: a. Cultural relationships among various prehistoric groups. b. The types of food contained in the original clay storage vessel. c. Prehistoric ceramic manufacturing technology. d. Potsherds are of no archaeological importance; they are simply broken pieces of pottery.

Q: "Stratigraphy" is: a. The study of a site's artifact assemblage. b. The thorough and detailed documentation of archaeological excavations. c. The procedure by which archaeological sites are professionally mapped. d. A site's physical structure produced by the deposition of geological and/or cultural sediments into layers.

Q: A "midden" is: a. Any kind of artifact that has been discarded by prehistoric populations. b. A refuse deposit resulting from human activities. c. Any kind of historic artifact. d. A specific kind of storage structure used by prehistoric populations.

Q: Classical archaeology is: a. The branch of archaeology that studies the classical civilizations of the Mediterranean, such as Greece and Rome, and the Near East. b. Archaeology as it was practiced in classical times in places such as Greece and Rome and the Near East. c. That period in the history of American archaeology in which antiquarianism dominated the goals of archaeology. d. That period in the history of American archaeology in which Lewis Binford and his students dominated archaeological method and theory.

Q: Speculation as to the origin of the first people in the New World included: a. That Native Americans were one of the Lost Tribes of Israel. b. That Indians came from Atlantis. c. That they were voyaging Egyptians, Vikings, Chinese, or Phoenicians. d. All of the above.

Q: The concept of "deep time" refers to the following: a. That the oldest artifacts are found in the deepest parts of a site. b. The recognition that life is ancient and evolved over time. c. Life on earth cannot be measured in thousands of years. d. Both B and C

Q: The year AD 1859 was an important year in the history of human thought because it was the year that: a. Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species. b. The scientific community declared support for the remote antiquity of humankind. c. Both A and B. d. None of the above.

Q: Archbishop James Ussher (1581-1656) was responsible for which of the following? a. Establishing the antiquity of man by recognizing ancient handaxes associated with extinct mammal bones. b. Promoting the concept of organic evolution at a time when most scholars rejected evolutionary thought. c. Conducting intensive excavations aimed at resolving the question of human antiquity. d. Calculating the age of the earth based on biblical genealogy, and concluding that Creation occurred on October 22, 4004 BC.

Q: Which of the following dates is the youngest? a. AD 1066 b. 1066 BC c. 1066 BCE d. 1066 BP

Q: Charles Lyell's 1865 book The Geologic Evidences for the Antiquity of Man was important because it: a. documented the fact that humans had lived with now extinct animals in the distant past. b. provided evidence that humans had been on the earth for a far shorter time than other scholars of the time suggested. c. argued for an extremely young age of the earth (not more than 6000 years old). d. finally showed that the "ancient ax heads" discovered in river gravels were nothing more than naturally fractured river cobbles.

Q: The following contributed to the support and discovery of deep time: a. Charles Darwin publishes his influential book On the Origin of Species. b. James Ussher concludes that Creation began at sunset on Saturday, October 22, 4004 BC. c. Jacques Bocher de Crevecoeur de Perthes found ancient axe heads in the gravels of the Somme River. d. A and C

Q: Giovanni Battista Belzoni stood apart from other antiquarians of his time due to the fact that: a. he took notes and made illustrations and observations of the places he visited. b. he recovered numerous statues, mummies and carvings. c. he removed another country's cultural heritage from its homeland. d. his methods were destructive enough to make archaeologists today cringe.

Q: An "antiquarian" is someone who is interested in: a. reconstructing the lifeways of commoners in classical ancient civilizations such as Greece and Rome. b. detailed documentation of the context in which prehistoric artifacts are found. c. ancient objects strictly for their artistic value, rather than for the information they provide about the people or culture that produced them. d. everything that artifacts can tell us about the past.

Q: Today, most archaeologists feel more comfortable using the following abbreviation when providing a date: a. BC b. BP c. AD d. BCE

Q: The abbreviation "AD" referring to age in an archaeological or historic context means: a. in the year of the lord. b. after death. c. approximate death. d. nothing; there is no literal translation.

Q: Petrarch is considered perhaps the most influential individual of the early Renaissance becausehe: a. traveled extensively to exotic lands and conducted meticulous excavations, increasing public interest in the past. b. considered the remote past an ideal of perfection, and argued that moral philosophy could be found within ancient classical civilizations. c. argued that the concept of God had become increasingly irrelevant to explanations of the natural world. d. discovered ancient Paleolithic handaxes in association with extinct mammal skeletons, thereby establishing the antiquity of humanity.

Q: The last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, Nabonidus, is frequently known as the "first archaeologist" because: a. he was the first documented prehistoric individual to show an interest in the past. b. he tried to answer questions about the past by looking at the physical remains of the past. c. he employed modern archaeological field techniques in his excavations. d. he worked within an explicit theoretical paradigm.

Q: Most historians ascribe the label of "first archaeologist" to: a. Petrarch. b. Ciriaco de" Pizzicolli. c. Nabonidus. d. Boucher de Perthes.

Q: The primary family unit of the Kwakwaka"wakw was the lineage. T/F

Q: The Great Basin is characterized by mobile, band-level hunters and gatherers and by linguistic uniformity

Q: In Kwakwaka"wakw religion there are only two major supernaturals, Raven and Killer Whale. T/F

Q: The sexual division of labor in the Great Basin meant women had low status

Q: The art of the Northwest Coast is ___________. a. mainly of stone b. quite simple c. not concerned with relationships d. the most unique and recognizable aspect of the culture area

Q: Houses in the Great Basin varied from lean-tos to sturdy, semi-subterranean homes in permanent villages.

Q: A totem pole ___________. a. served to separate earth from spirits b. served as emblems of rank, event markers, and memorials c. served as artistic expression only d. was never part of potlatches

Q: The staple food of the Northwest Coast was ___________. a. eulachon b. anadromous fish such as salmon c. sea mammals d. deer and bears

Q: The Owens Valley Paiute __________. a. were organized into 7 bands that controlled specific area b. were peaceful and traded with California Indians c. divided labor by age and sex d. used flood irrigation, a form of "incipient agriculture" e. all of the above

Q: The best marriages for Northwest Coast people ___________. a. were within the same clan b. kept wealth in the family c. were between cross-cousins d. all of the above e. b and c

Q: A typical Northwest Coast town ___________. a. was located inland in trees for safety b. was made up of large seal skin tents facing the water c. was very small d. had a communal ceremonial house

Q: The first Europeans to contact the Northwest Coast Indians were ___________. a. Americans b. French c. Russian d. British

Q: Major issues for Plateau Indians today include ___________. a. fishing rights and gambling b. new treaties c. better health care than their neighbors d. too many businesses moving onto the reservation

Q: The Nez Perce lived in ___________. a. villages by rivers b. semisubterranean pithouses and longhouses c. tipis d. all of the above

Q: The Nez Perce had three classes--wealthy, middle class, and slaves--plus a separate class for bison hunters. T/F

Q: The Nez Perce leader Chief Joseph ___________. a. was a talented war leader b. helped his people by making speeches in Washington, D.C. c. was mainly a camp chief d. a and b e. b and c

Q: The vision quest is not part of Plateau religion. T/F

Q: Pinyon nuts, eaten by many Great Basin populations, __________. a. were obtained from Californian populations via trade b. can be gathered by brown coning or green coning c. could not be stored for long periods of time d. were a fall-back food in times of famine

Q: Plateau people ___________. a. had extended families b. divided labor by sex and age c. practiced village exogamy d. ate salmon e. all of the above

Q: Women on the Plateau were advisors and highly respected. T/F

Q: Captain Jack or Kintpuash ___________. a. raised a national debate about the treatment of Indians b. was a Modoc leader who accepted reservation life for his people c. was a Modoc leader executed for fighting the U.S. d. all of the above e. a and c

Q: In general, Great Basin bands__________. a. were named for their headmen b. had headmen elected by consensus c. were connected to larger, formal clans d. never went to war

Q: On the Plateau there is much evidence of Paleoindian cultures because of flooding. T/F

Q: Special characteristics of the Plateau culture area include ___________. a. small size but isolated b. regional trading network and river settlements c. a reliance solely on the buffalo d. narrow kinship ties and vast political complexity

Q: Today Owens Valley Paiute __________. a. still have no reservations b. refuse to open casinos c. are trying to maintain their language and culture d. have asked the U.s. Forest Service to spray for mothers to prevent tree infestation

Q: The Owens Valley Paiute had 3 kinds of shaman: herb, spirit, and ceremonial. T/F

Q: Sister exchange, where the sister of the groom married the brother of the bride in a double ceremony, was the ideal marriage arrangement for Owens Valley Paiute. T/F

Q: Great Basin religion __________. a. included the Bear Dance and the Round Dance b. revolved around a single deity c. was focused on women d. was remarkably resistant to European influences and hasn"t changed in 300 years

Q: The Owens Valley Paiute __________. a. were organized into 7 bands that controlled specific areas b. were peaceful and traded with California Indians c. divided labor by age and sex d. used flood irrigation, a form of "incipient agriculture" e. all of the above

Q: Modern Great Basin Indians__________. a. have overcome problems with drugs and alcohol b. have issues with land, hunting, water, and grazing rights c. have no casinos d. all of the above

Q: The Great Basin is located __________. a. in the United States west b. in the United States southeast c. in the Canadian northeast d. in the Canadian west

Q: The Ghost Dance __________. a. is a classic example of a "revitalization" movement b. was encouraged by the federal government because it calmed the Indians c. was never militarized d. was never very popular on the Plains or in the Great Basin

Q: The Kwakiutl practiced extensive agriculture.

Q: Shamans in the Great Basin __________. a. were never female b. treated sick people and helped in hunting c. were not considered to have supernatural powers d. did not try to control the weather or animals

Q: In the late 1990s the Makah tribe in northwest Washington state resumed traditional seal hunting

Q: Great Basin religion __________. a. involved many complex group ceremonies b. used dreams and vision quests to gain spirit helpers c. included the Round Dance, a world renewal ceremony d. a and b e. b and c

Q: Eulachon fish contained so much oil they could be lit to burn like a candle

Q: Housing in the Great Basin __________. a. never varied from brush and adobe b. included wickiups, caves, and large, semisubterranean houses c. consisted of permanent villages d. did not include sweathouses

Q: In the NW Cost land animals were less important as resources than ocean mammals

Q: Great Basin people ate __________. a. waterfowl, rabbits, and hares b. insects such as ants, crickets, and grasshoppers c. trout and salmon d. all of the above e. none of the above

Q: Evidence of Paleoindian Period human occupation is sparse because most sites today are covered with volcanic deposits

Q: The most popular large mammals hunted in the Great Basin were __________. a. bear and elk b. bison and caribou c. deer, mountain and pronghorn sheep d. all of the above

Q: Kwakiutl shamans __________. a. had two levels of power, high and low b. could not cure illnesses c. entered trances and had supernatural helpers d. were initiated in a large group in a private ceremony

Q: Pinyon nuts, a major Great Basin food source, __________. a. require traveling and monitoring of cones to collect b. can be gathered by brown coning or green coning c. could be stored unshelled for years d. all of the above

Q: The only domestic animal for the Kwakiutl was __________. a. the horse b. the turkey c. the fox d. the dog

Q: Women in Great Basin society __________. a. could not hunt or be shamans b. often stayed single to avoid starvation c. had generally low status d. gathered and processed most of the plant food

Q: The primary Kwakiutl family unit__________. a. was a loosely patrilineal lineage b. lived in separate houses c. did not involve clans d. all of the above

Q: The basic social unit in Great Basin society was the __________. a. lineage b. band c. nuclear family d. clan

Q: A typical Kwakiutl war expedition __________. a. started at dawn b. usually took place in the spring c. involved sneaking up on a sleeping enemy d. would take over an enemy town for their own use