ARCH 112 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Olduvai Gorge, Archaeological Site, Nazca Lines
10 Sep 2018
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Document Summary
Methods of studying the past: paleoanthropology and archaeology. Paleoanthropology- study of fossilized remains of human ancestors and focuses on humans and primates, the order to which humans belong. Fossil- preserved remains of a plant or animal that has become mineralised over time ex) archaeopteryx, Only the hard parts of the organism survive. Minerals (silica, calcium carbonate) replace the body material (organic material) the bones turn into stone (mineralize). Occurs in areas with ground water with high mineral content, volcanic activity areas, places where it can be covered and replaced by mineral quickly. The most dense parts of the body is what is preserved. Fossil locales- places where fossilized remains of once living organisms are found ex) olduvai gorge, Tanzania (a place with a lot of plate tectonic activity. When excavating you have to keep track of exactly where the fossil was found to know the age of it. Archaeological site- a place where evidence of past human activity is found.
