Anth 112
Final Exam (Take-Home)
Due Wednesday, December 13, 10:30 A.M.
In Walker 210 (Archaeology Lab)
Must be in hard copy…no electronic versions!!!!
Directions: Follow all of the instructions below. All of the following questions must be answered. You are not required to bring in readings from outside of the class. You are, however, encouraged to make extensive use of the readings from the class (both Wenke and Olszewski and the readings on the website). When using these sources you are expected to cite them. You will be graded on both content and form. Your name must be on your paper and all pages must be numbered. The paper is due – in hard copy format – on Wednesday, December 13, 10:30 A.M. in Walker 210. I will leave the office at that time and all papers received after the due date will be severely downgraded.
Short Answers (5 points each):
Answer BOTH of the following questions. Each question should be answered in approximately ½ of a typed, double-spaced page (roughly 150 words).
1. Terry L. Hunt has questioned Jared Diamond’s interpretation of what happened on Rapa Nui (Easter Island). Why does Hunt think Diamond is incorrect and what does he think happened instead? What evidence does Hunt offer for his interpretation?
2. What are the key features of pre-contact NorthwestCoast societies?
Essay Questions (20 points each):
Answer BOTH of the following questions. Each question should be answered in approximately 2 typed, double-spaced pages (roughly 600 words). Treat these questions as essays, with an introduction, body, and conclusion. You will be graded on both content and form.
1. In the syllabus for this class I included the following paragraph:
The study of the past in general, as well as the field of archaeology in specific, always occurs in the present. As a result, the ideological, legal and political issues of the current day influence and are embedded in historical and scientific studies. These issues can especially be prevalent in areas where the vast majority of interested scholars are working with a past that is not directly their own. These issues, therefore, cannot be separated from the study of the past, and will be an ever-present component of our course.
What do I mean by this? What are some of these “ideological, legal and political issues”? Why are they relevant to the practice of archaeology?
2. The second portion of this course focused on a number of “Socially Complex” ancient societies. What do we mean by “social complexity”? What archaeological evidence can we use to address the question of complexity? Choose one ancient society and discuss it within the context of “complexity”.