Suggested mini-presentation subjects

Anthro 325: World Prehistory

Suggested mini-presentation subjects for the first part of the semester

Pick a first and second choice, or see me to discuss any other subjects you might like to pursue.

Tues	Feb	15	Homo erectus and the human radiation out of Africa What is the evidence for the use of fire by Homo erectus at Zhoukoudian (Choukoutien) and other sites, and is it convincing? Why have some people suggested that Homo erectus at Zhoukoudian (Choukoutien) practiced cannibalism?
Thur	Feb	17	Origin, culture, and fate of the Neanderthals In what sort of environment did the Neanderthals live (temperature, vegetation, analogy to modern regions)? What is this based on? Pick one of the Neanderthal burial sites mentioned in the text and describe it more fully. Why do some people think ritual was involved, while others don't?
Tues	Feb	22	*Early Homo sapiens* and Upper Paleolithic technology, culture, and art** What was found at Klassies River Mouth (Klassies River Cave), and what is so interesting about it? Tell us more about the Upper Paleolithic "Venus" figurines, and some interpretations of them. Tell us more about the site of Dolni Vestonice, especially about the clay figurines, the place where they were fired, and interpretations of them. Are there any significant differences between Upper Paleolithic cave art from one cave to another? If so, what are they, and why might this be so?
Thur	Feb	24	The peopling of Australia and the New World What is "Kennewick Man", and how does he fit into the debate about the population of the New World? What were the early cave paintings in Australia like, and how do they compare to the Upper Paleolithic ones in Europe?
Tues	Feb	29	The first farmers: Theories and Old World evidence Tell us about the evidence from Abu Hureyra that indicates a switch from foraging to agriculture in a few centuries.
Thur	Mar	2	Jericho, Çatal Hüyük, and more from the Old World neolithic On what grounds does Bar-Yosef argue that the wall around Jericho was for flood control? What objections have been (or could be) raised against this idea? Summarize the evidence for the claim that Çatal Hüyük was a central point in the trade in obsidian for a large region.
Tues	Mar	7	The European neolithic and bronze ages: Stonehenge, the Iceman, and more What was Stonehenge used for, and how did it fit into the society that built and remodeled it? Describe some of the other monuments that were built in the same period as Stonehenge, and what they were used for. Describe the rich burials at Varna, and the society that produced them.
Thur	Mar	9	The emergence of civilization in Mesopotamia Tell us more about villages or towns of the 'Ubaid period. What evidence is there of the construction of canals in the 'Ubaid period, the Uruk period, and the Early Dynastic period? How big (any measure or estimate you can find) in each period? What activities went on at Sumerian temples? What evidence is there for this?
Tues	Mar	14	Egypt What was the important Upper Egyptian town of Hierakonpolis (Nekhen) like from about 3800 BC to 3000 BC? What was the important Lower Egyptian town of Maadi like during the same period (between 3800 BC and 3000 BC)? Describe some of the methods thought to have been used to build the pyramids.