Expansions, Definitions, and Rants

"More About" Pages

Mini-essays linked on this page were developed to expand on topics mentioned in various classes. Most of these are comments too short to merit full pages of their own, but are a little longer than the simple definitions in the Glossary of Specialized Terms in Anthropology. A few evolved into longer essays on independent pages, which have also been linkd here.

To be honest, this page exists largely so I can locate these essays when I want to use them again, but meanwhile feel free to use them if you like.

Early Agriculture

1. Beer
2. Cacao, Cocoa, and Chocolate
3. Chinampas
4. Fermentation & Distillation
5. Millet & Sorghum
6. Wine
   
   
7. Independent page: Tea

Geography

1. Eurasia
2. Near East and Middle East
3. Steppe Environments
4. Tundra Environments
5. Savanna Environments
6. Loess (Löss) Soil
   
   
7. Independent page: Beringia

Disease

1. AIDS
2. Anthrax
3. Cholera
4. Flu
5. Malaria
6. Plague
7. Dengue Fever
8. Smallpox

Religion

1. Theories of Religion
2. Cults
3. Sects
4. Myths & Legends
5. Shamans & Shamanism
6. Trance & Possession
7. Syncretism
8. Superstition

Social Structure

1. Communism and Cultural Evolution
2. Divine Kingship
3. Elites
4. Feudalism
5. Functionalism
6. Political Legitimacy
7. Raiding
8. Reciprocity
9. Status
10. Tributary States

Materials Frequently Referred to by Archaeologists

1. Amber
2. Bitumen
3. Catlinite (Pipestone)
4. Cinnabar
5. Clay
6. Cloisonné
7. Faience (Faïence)
8. Flint
9. Jade
10. Lacquer
11. Lapis Lazuli
12. Malachite
13. Mica
14. Obsidian
15. Plaster & Cement
16. Red Ochre
17. Slate
18. Soapstone
    
    
19. Independent page: Cloth
20. Independent page: Metallurgy

Archaeological Tool Traditions

1. Oldowan Tools
2. Acheulean Tradition
3. MousterianTradition
4. Châtelperronian Tradition
5. Aurignacian Tradition
6. Perigordian Tradition
7. Gravettian Tradition
8. Solutrean Tradition
9. Magdalenian Tradition
10. Ahrensburgian Tradition
11. HamburgianTradition
12. Azilian Tradition
    
13. Neolithic
14. Neolithic Ground Stone Tools
    
    
15. Independent page: Stone Tools
16. Independent page: Paleo-Indian Spear Points

Miscellaneous Other Stuff

1. Calumets (Peace Pipes)
2. Peking and Beijing
3. The Word Manchu
4. Sexual Dimorphism
5. Soap
6. Steelyards
7. Grass Eating
8. Harpoons and Leisters
9. Teeth and Dentition
10. Stone Sickles
11. Lost Wax Metal Casting
12. Representation of Very Large Numbers
13. Creationism
14. Ethnocentrism
    
    
15. Independent page: Evolution
16. Independent page: The Bantu Expansion
17. Independent page: Human Birth & Bipedalism
18. Essays on Theory
    • Two Kinds of Definitions
      Center-focused and boundary-focused definitions and the process of "operationalization," the basis of all social research
    • Classification: Lumping & Splitting
      What is your "default" hypothesis in classifying ambiguous evidence?
    • Variables & Models
      What the dingdong is a "theory" anyway?
    • Explaining Human Behavior: The Question "Why?"
      Most "explanations" of human behavior are fatuous foolishness. What is the logical trap that they fall into?
    • Symbols, Sumptuation, and Mystification
      Why do people like gold? It's not because it's pretty.
    • Conflicting Loyalties, & Cross Cutting Ties
      Is it good to have conflicting loyalties? Wouldn't that make for … um … conflict?

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