Page 64 - Berkshire Encyclopedia Of World History Vol I - Abraham to Coal

tfw-4 berkshire encyclopedia of world history

Who Does What in the
Study of Human History

Archaeologists excavate, preserve, study, and
classify artifacts of the near and distant past in regions of the Afro-Eurasian landmass. Through time,
order to develop a picture of how people lived in protohumans (early human ancestors) in different regions
earlier cultures and societies. The profession diverged enough to create the genetic foundations for
combines a broad understanding of history with modern regional variants (races) while maintaining suf-
sophisticated digging procedures and plain old ficient genetic contact to remain a single species.The mul-
hard work, making it one of the most demanding tiregional model implies that human history began, quite
and competitive branches of the social sciences. gradually, sometime during the last million years.The evi-
dence for this model comes mainly from the comparative
Source: Princeton Review. (2004). Retrieved September 8, 2004, from http://
www.princetonreview.com/cte/profiles/dayInLife.asp?careerID=10 study of skeletal remains.
Prehistorian: An archaeologist who specializes
in prehistory—the study of prehistoric human- Out of Africa, into Controversy
A second hypothesis, sometimes known as the “Out-of-
kind.
Africa hypothesis,” relies mainly on genetic comparisons
Source: Merriam-Webster Online. (2004). Retrieved September 8, 2004, from
http://www.m-w.com of modern humans, although it also claims to be consis-
tent with surviving skeletal evidence. It starts from the
The word anthropology itself tells the basic
observation that modern humans are genetically very sim-
story—from the Greek anthropos (“human”) and
ilar to each other, so similar in fact that they cannot have
logia (“study”)—it is the study of humankind
been evolving for more than about 250,000 years. This
from its beginnings millions of years ago to the
hypothesis suggests that all modern humans are
present day. . . .Though easy to define, anthro-
descended from just a few ancestors who lived about
pology is difficult to describe. Its subject matter
250,000 years ago. Today the greatest genetic variety
is both exotic (e.g., star lore of the Australian
among humans can be found in Africa, which suggests
aborigines) and commonplace (anatomy of the
that Africa is where humans evolved and where they lived
foot). And its focus is both sweeping (the evo-
for the longest time before some began to migrate around
lution of language) and microscopic (the use-
the world. If the Out-of-Africa hypothesis is correct, mod-
wear of obsidian tools). Anthropologists may
ern humans evolved in Africa from later forms of Homo
study ancient Mayan hieroglyphics, the music of
ergaster.The new species probably emerged quite rapidly
African Pygmies, and the corporate culture of a
in a remote, isolated group.
U.S. car manufacturer.
The Out-of-Africa hypothesis itself comes in two main
Source: American Anthropological Association. (2004). Retrieved September 8,
2004, from http://www.aaanet.org/anthbroc.htm variants.The first variant, which has long been defended
by the archaeologist Richard Klein and others, suggests
that even if modern humans evolved in Africa perhaps
of the main challenges of world history, and it is faced 250,000 years ago, the earliest evidence of distinctively
most directly in studying the era of foragers. human behaviors, including improved hunting skills and
artistic activities of various kinds, dates from no earlier
Beginnings of than about fifty thousand to sixty thousand years ago. In
Human History this variant humans were not fully human, and human
Scholars still debate when our species first appeared. One
For more on these topics, please see the following articles:
hypothesis—the multiregional model, defended today by
Afro-Eurasia p. 44 (v1)
a minority of physical anthropologists, including Milford
Human Evolution—Overview p. 930 (v3)
Wolpoff and Alan Thorne—states that modern humans
Periodization—Overview p. 1453 (v4)
evolved gradually, during the last million years, in many