In this discussion board graded assignment, you will view a video depicting a “traditional society” such as hunter-gatherers or horticulturalists, and then discuss what kinds of archaeological signatures would result in the activities being depicted.

WHEN WATCHING THE VIDEO, THINK ABOUT THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

1. 1. What tools were being used during an activity?

   2. Which of these tools would we likely find in an archaeological site? For example, if people are using tools made of wood and wood does not typically preserve, then we would not likely find it at a site. Stone and metal don’t degrade easily, and bone preserves well in most cases.

   3. What kind of “features” did you see? Remember, archaeological features, unlike artifacts, are non-portable like fire pits, walls, and structures. As with artifacts, which ones do you think would we find in an archaeological site?

   4. What kind of spatial patterning did you observe during the activity? For example, where were people in relation to each other? How might this affect where artifacts and features are found in relation to one another?

   5. After considering the above questions, how confident are you that you could work backwards from the archaeological record to the behaviors that produced them? In other words, if you found the artifacts and features in a specific spatial configuration as you observe above, do you think they would have been produced by the same activity?

• • First, provide the title and a very brief synopsis (1 paragraph of a few sentences).
  • Using Questions 1-4 for an activity observed in the video, present a minimum of three hypotheses about what you would find at an archaeological site based on the ethnographic observations. Provide explanation as justification for how you formed your hypothesis. Hypotheses should be stated as an “If…then…” statement (or a similar variant). (1 paragraph)
  • Respond to Question 5. (1 paragraph)

AFTER POSTING:

• • Respond to at least one other student’s post in your group. In your response, be sure to offer both compliments and constructive criticism.

VIDEO LIST

Here is list a set of videos that are available online. Some may require login using your Sac State username. You are not limited to this list, but you should contact the instructor for permission to use an alternative video.

• Last Foragers Standing (Links to an external site.)
• The Hunters (Links to an external site.)
• A Rite of Passage (Links to an external site.)
• Pygmies of Africa (Links to an external site.)
• Primitive Peoples: The Hunt (Links to an external site.)
• Netsilik (Links to an external site.)(pick one video)
• The Hadza: Last of the First (Links to an external site.)
• Last of the Bushmen (Links to an external site.)
• The Ache Indians of Paraguay (Links to an external site.)
• The Last of the Cuiva: Disappearing World (Links to an external site.)
• Batak: Ancient Spirits, Modern World (Links to an external site.)
• Tribe: Akie (Links to an external site.)
• Spirits of the Rocks: The Culture of the San Bushpeople

SAMPLE ASSIGNMENT

Sample-2