CARTA Glossary
| Word | Definition | Related Vocabulary |
|---|---|---|
| "Archaic" Homo sapiens |
Earlier forms of Homo sapiens who were anatomically and behaviorally distinct from modern humans. |
Homo sapiens |
| Acheulean (Mode 2) |
A stone tool type characterized by oval or pear-shaped bi-faced “hand axes” and are typically associated with Homo erectus. ~1.76 mya - 130 kya. |
|
| Aurignacian (Mode 4) |
A stone tool type characterized by long, fine blades produced from a prepared core (Levallois Technique). Tools of this mode also include worked bone and antler points. ~43 kya - 28 kya. |
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| Cortical Fields |
A segment of the cerebral cortex that carries out a given function. |
|
| Culture |
Behavior and norms that are shared, learned, and socially transmitted. |
|
| de Novo |
A Latin adverb meaning “from the new.” A new genetic variant that is the result of a mutation in a germ cell (egg or sperm) of one of the parents, or a variant that arises in the fertilized egg during embryogenesis. (See Novel) |
Embryogenesis, Novel (disease) |
| Dyslexia |
A general term for disorders that involve difficulty in learning to read or interpreting words, letters, and other symbols, but that do not affect general intelligence. |
|
| Foraging |
Searching for wild food or provisions as opposed to cultivating food crops or breeding livestock. |
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| Frontoparietal Networks |
Human frontal and parietal lobes form a network that is crucially involved in the selection of sensory contents by attention. |
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| Gene-Culture Co-Evolution Theory |
A branch of theoretical population genetics that models the transmission of genes and cultural traits from one generation to the next, exploring how they interact. Also known as “biocultural evolution” or “biological enculturation” (feedback between culture and biology). |
Biological enculturation |
| Handaxe |
A prehistoric stone tool with two faces and is usually made from flint, basalt, sandstone, quartzite, or chert. |
|
| Hunting and gathering |
A subsistence strategy in which most or all food is obtained by foraging and is in contrast to agriculture, which rely mainly on domesticated species. |
Agriculture, Foraging |
| Levallois Technique (prepared core) |
A method of creating stone tools by first striking flakes off the stone, or core, along the edges to create the prepared core and then striking the prepared core in such a way that the intended tool is flaked off with all of its edges pre-sharpened. |
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| Lomekwian Technology |
The oldest known stone tools consisting of 150 artifacts found in Lomekwi, Kenya, close to Lake Turkana. ~3.3 mya. |
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| Lower Paleolithic |
The first subdivision of the Paleolithic, or Stone Age. ~3.4 mya- 300 ky. |
|
| Marrow |
The soft fatty substance in the cavities of bones that produces red and white blood cells and platelets. |
|
| Microlithic (Mode 5) |
A stone tool type consisting of small blades or points, called microliths, that were typically used in composite tools, such as an arrow point fastened to a haft. ~35 - 3 kya. |
|
| Middle Paleolithic |
The second subdivision of the Paleolithic, or Stone Age and consist of use of prepared cores (Levallois Technique) and hafted tools and weapons. ~300 kya -30 kya. |
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| Motor Cortex |
The part of the cerebral cortex in the brain where the nerve impulses originate that initiate voluntary muscular activity. |
|
| Mousterian (Mode 3) |
A stone tool type characterized by hand- axes, scrapers, triangle points, and denticulates (a stone tool with edges of multiple notched shapes, or teeth) produced using a prepared core (i.e. Levallois Technique) and is most associated with Neanderthals. ~315 - 30 kya. |
|
| Obligate Tool User |
Tool use is a necessity for survival. Tool use is an essential part of being human and we are the only known obligate tool users. |
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| Oldowan (Mode 1) |
A stone tool type characterized by simple “choppers” for pounding, breaking, and bashing. ~2.6 - 1.7 mya. |
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| Paleolithic |
A broad prehistoric period during which stone was used to make tools and weapons and is synonymous with Stone Age. During the paleolithic, hunting and gathering (foraging) was the primary subsistence method. The period ended with a flourishing of culture, not only in the manufacture of new stone (and bone tools) and other innovations (such spear thrower, bow and arrow, eyed needle, fishing implements), but also the development of splendid cave art paintings and engravings. Subdivisions:
|
Culture, Foraging, Hunting and gathering, Stone Age |
| Polygenic |
Relating to a trait determined by two or more genes. Most traits of organisms are polygenic. |
|
| Posterior Parietal Cortex |
The portion of parietal neocortex that plays an important role in planned movements, spatial reasoning, and attention. |
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| Primary Somatosensory Cortex |
A region of the Neocortex that controls tactile representation from the parts of the body. |
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| Primates |
A group of mammals that include humans, apes, monkeys, and prosimians. |
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| Scavengers |
Organisms that search for and feed on carrion, dead plant material, or refuse. |
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| Stone Age |
The prehistoric period during which stone was used to make tools and weapons and is synonymous with the Paleolithic. ~3.4 million years ago (mya) - 10 thousand years ago (kya). In African archaeology, stone age chronology is divided into Early Stone Age (ESA): ~2.6 mya to ~300 kya; Middle Stone Age (MSA): ~300 kya to ~50 kya; and Later Stone Age (LSA): ~ 50 kya to ~39 kya.
|
Paleolithic |
| Upper Paleolithic |
The third subdivision of the Paleolithic, or Stone Age, and coincides with behavorial modernity and predates the advent of agriculture. Artefacts include finely crafted stone blades and bone and antler tools, such as harpoons and needles. ~50 kya - 10 kya |
