Anthro 325: World Prehistory
Anthro 325: World Prehistory
Suggested mini-presentation subjects for the first part of the semester
Pick a first and second choice, or see me to discuss any other subjects you might like to pursue.
|Tues |Feb |15 |Homo erectus and the human radiation out of Africa |
| | | |What is the evidence for the use of fire by Homo erectus at Zhoukoudian (Choukoutien) and other sites, and is it |
| | | |convincing? |
| | | |Why have some people suggested that Homo erectus at Zhoukoudian (Choukoutien) practiced cannibalism? |
|Thur |Feb |17 |Origin, culture, and fate of the Neanderthals |
| | | |In what sort of environment did the Neanderthals live (temperature, vegetation, analogy to modern regions)? What |
| | | |is this based on? |
| | | |Pick one of the Neanderthal burial sites mentioned in the text and describe it more fully. Why do some people |
| | | |think ritual was involved, while others don't? |
|Tues |Feb |22 |Early Homo sapiens and Upper Paleolithic technology, culture, and art |
| | | |What was found at Klassies River Mouth (Klassies River Cave), and what is so interesting about it? |
| | | |Tell us more about the Upper Paleolithic "Venus" figurines, and some interpretations of them. |
| | | |Tell us more about the site of Dolni Vestonice, especially about the clay figurines, the place where they were |
| | | |fired, and interpretations of them. |
| | | |Are there any significant differences between Upper Paleolithic cave art from one cave to another? If so, what are|
| | | |they, and why might this be so? |
|Thur |Feb |24 |The peopling of Australia and the New World |
| | | |What is "Kennewick Man", and how does he fit into the debate about the population of the New World? |
| | | |What were the early cave paintings in Australia like, and how do they compare to the Upper Paleolithic ones in |
| | | |Europe? |
|Tues |Feb |29 |The first farmers: Theories and Old World evidence |
| | | |Tell us about the evidence from Abu Hureyra that indicates a switch from foraging to agriculture in a few |
| | | |centuries. |
|Thur |Mar |2 |Jericho, Çatal Hüyük, and more from the Old World neolithic |
| | | |On what grounds does Bar-Yosef argue that the wall around Jericho was for flood control? What objections have been|
| | | |(or could be) raised against this idea? |
| | | |Summarize the evidence for the claim that Çatal Hüyük was a central point in the trade in obsidian for a large |
| | | |region. |
|Tues |Mar |7 |The European neolithic and bronze ages: Stonehenge, the Iceman, and more |
| | | |What was Stonehenge used for, and how did it fit into the society that built and remodeled it? |
| | | |Describe some of the other monuments that were built in the same period as Stonehenge, and what they were used for.|
| | | |Describe the rich burials at Varna, and the society that produced them. |
|Thur |Mar |9 |The emergence of civilization in Mesopotamia |
| | | |Tell us more about villages or towns of the 'Ubaid period. |
| | | |What evidence is there of the construction of canals in the 'Ubaid period, the Uruk period, and the Early Dynastic |
| | | |period? How big (any measure or estimate you can find) in each period? |
| | | |What activities went on at Sumerian temples? What evidence is there for this? |
|Tues |Mar |14 |Egypt |
| | | |What was the important Upper Egyptian town of Hierakonpolis (Nekhen) like from about 3800 BC to 3000 BC? |
| | | |What was the important Lower Egyptian town of Maadi like during the same period (between 3800 BC and 3000 BC)? |
| | | |Describe some of the methods thought to have been used to build the pyramids. |
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