Abstract
This paper argues that Neanderthal man is related to modern humans by looking at elements of the Neanderthal physiology, behavior and cultural life. It shows how, allowing for the effects of a harsh, cold climate, Neanderthal physiology is remarkably similar to that of Homo Sapiens and how like modern humans, Neanderthals developed tools and had a capacity for language. Neanderthals also buried their dead, created artwork, had a concept of an afterlife and had a societal structure with strong social ties.

From the Paper
"Recent findings on the mitochondrial DNA taken from the right humerus of a Neanderthal skeleton failed to show significant similarities with the mitochondrial DNA of modern humans. According to the study, one sequence of Neanderthal DNA differs drastically from the same stretch of modern human DNA -- about half as much as today's humans differ from chimps. Disparities that large, the researchers conclude, suggest that about 600,000 years ago, Neanderthals branched out into their own evolutionary line. This line was distinct from the line that eventually would become today's Homo sapiens (Suplee A1). Neanderthals were too genetically different from modern man and should thus be classified homo neandertalis."

Tags:dna, skeleton, physiology, culture, homo, sapiens, language

Abstract
This paper is an examination of Mayan architecture which emerged from the rain forests of Guatemala and Yucatan. The writer maintains that the detailed architecture was a fitting monument to the highly sophisticated civilization that existed in the region before the Spanish arrived. This look at the style of Mayan architecture includes a diagram highlighting the areas of construction in Copan. The paper argues that Mayan culture was more than a collection of buildings in that every aspect of architecture was linked to the sacred world around. In conclusion the writer explains that the temple pyramid which symbolizes Mayan architectural skill is also a statement of their cosmographic ideas. Everything has a beginning and end. Everything is the beginning and the end.

From the Paper
"Deep in the tangled rain forests of Guatemala and the Yucatan, the Maya made some of the greatest contributions to world architecture. Their stone cities complete with temples, palaces, tombs, and ball courts are fitting monuments to the complex, and highly sophisticated civilization that existed in these regions many centuries before the arrival of the Spanish. Mayan priest-astronomers made elaborate calculations to catalog the passage of time. Great warrior kings immortalized themselves and their deeds on stelae, recording for future generations the contributions they had made toward maintaining the cosmic order. The Maya were the only Pre-Columbian people to ever have invented a complete system of writing".

Tags:emerged, rainforests, detailed, civilization, monument, diagram, sacred, buildings, construction

Abstract
The Australopithecines constitutes a group of extinct hominids that are closely related to humans. The Australopithecines were believed to be bi-pedal organisms, making them an integral link in the chain of evolution leading to modern man. This essay explores the evolution from ancient primates, to bi-pedal australopithicenes, to modern man. It includes several cited sources.

From the Paper
"The word "hominid" refers to "any of a family (Hominidae) of erect bipedal primate mammals comprising recent humans together with extinct ancestral and related forms" (Merriam Webster). Hominids are included in the super-family of apes, the Hominoidea, in which the members are referred to as hominoids. Though the fossil record of hominids is currently fragmented and incomplete, there is enough material present to provide a healthy sketch of the evolutionary history of homo sapiens. Inasmuch as the Australopithecines were "bipedal primate mammals," they can be classified as ancient hominids (Merriam Webster). Many changes in the physical environment contributed to the evolution of these early humans."

Tags:afarensis, archaeology, fossils, lucy, paleontology, primates

Abstract
This paper examines the history of archaeology, and the impact that social historians have had in shaping its direction and definition. In order to present his case, the author looks at three different books on archaeology, both ancient and modern, by social historians. The author points out the strengths and weaknesses of these publications, which in some cases, are long on speculation, and short on facts.

From the Paper
"This is not to say the Patterson s book is completely skewed, however. He situates archaeology into a wider historical context and acknowledges the influence of outside society- that, archaeology as a field did not, in fact, pull itself up by its own bootstraps. As an example of this he sites the first impact of the WPA during the great depression, and the larger affect it had after World War II when the GI Bill allowed many soldiers who had previously worked with the WPA to pursue a full career in Archaeology. He also traces the class structure of archaeology from its beginning as an aristocratic and upper middle class phenomena to its situation in middle class academia in the 1950 s. Finally, he follows the fields movement from private collectors, to universities, to Federal government, and its final gradual privatization under the expanding clauses of United States historic sites protection."

Tags:archaeology, capitalism, feminism, historical, settlement, pattern, society, influence, journals, bias, dates, history, influences, cultural, united, states, federal, historic, sites, negro, race

Abstract
This paper discusses the benefits of archaeology to the scientific and academic communities, as well as its ability to question previous historical paradigms related to the earliest dates of settlement in a given region, or the evolution and migration of early hominids. The paper gives some examples of famous archaeological finds, discussing in particular, the Kennewick Man and the effects that its discovery has had on our previous knowledge of history.

From the Paper
"The Kennewick Man is one of the most notable finds in recent archaeological history. Discovered in Washington State by casual passers-by in 1996, the Kennewick Man's remains epitomize the controversy over NAGPRA. At first believed to be the remains of a Caucasian male who might have looked "like Patrick Stewart," the Kennewick Man called into question the theory that the first inhabitants of North America were Mongoloid peoples who traversed the Bering Strait (Miller 1997). Since then, the Kennewick Man has also become a political prisoner, in the middle of the battle between repatriation and scientific enquiry."

Tags:Kennewick, NAGPRA, repatriation

Abstract
What started out as an exploration of some ancient scrolls discovered in the Dead Sea region has become a career for some people, a controversy regarding control of the material and a matter leading to interpretation and reinterpretation of central issues in Christianity. The paper examines the story of the Dead Sea Scrolls, describes the controversies and sets forth current findings.

From the Paper
"One of the best overviews of the Qumran project is provided by Hershel Shanks (1998). Shanks was part of the basic editorial team, involved with the archeological excavations, and the initial work on the scrolls. He was part of the group which decided, in the 1990s, to open up the Qumran scrolls to general access. He discussed the political machinations of the group, as well as the relationship of the scrolls to numerous. For example, one issue is the nature of the Copper Scroll and whether that is essentially a fantasy or a real treasure map."

Tags:Qumran, Essence, William, Moffett, Old, Testament, Judaism

Abstract
The paper introduces archaeology, and explains that the concept of dating is central to the science of archaeology. Two broad categories of dating, relative and absolute, are introduced, and four major specific types of dating are presented to the reader; stratigraphy, dendrochronology, obsidian hydration dating, and radiocarbon dating. Each of the four methods are discussed in great detail, each with a closing paragraph devoted to the underlying problems with that particular method. For example, the section on stratigraphy begins with a brief history of the method itself, and introduces such concepts as the law of superposition, temporal sequences of data within stratified deposits, context evaluation, and determining age through the relative position of superimposed artifacts. The negatives of stratigraphy are then discussed, and include deformation, overlapping and reverse stratigraphy, and the method is evaluated on the whole. This format is then applied to the other three types of dating discussed. Finally, a concluding paragraph states that although the four types of dating discussed are infinitely valuable to archaeologists all over the world, there are still problems associated with each that need to be accounted for when using them to address the age of fossilized remains and other artifacts.

From the Paper
"Archaeology is the study of past human cultures, and archaeologists must uncover and interpret material remains in order to reconstruct past ways of life. To understand the purposes of these remains, Archaeologists have the task of constructing a chronology of prehistory, using various dating methods. "Without knowing the age of materials, little can be said about the activity that made them part of the site (David L. Webster, Susan Toby Evans & William T. Sanders, 1993: 128)." Dating is defined as the placement in time of events relative to one another or to any established scale of temporal measurement (Jeffrey S. Dean, 1981: 375). Dating methods used by Archaeologist incorporate the scientific method and have the advantages of objectification, application to isolated cultural sequences, and an expanded span of human prehistory for which an absolute chronology can be built (Keith Brannigan, 1974: 100-101). Scientific methods of dating are invaluable for the prehistoric periods and have revolutionized the archaeologists' ideas about the absolute chronology of the prehistoric culture sequence (Brannigan, 1974: 101), yet each of these scientific methods has many difficulties. Dating techniques fall into two categories relative and absolute and include the following: seriation, ceramic dating, potassium argon dating, thermoluminescence dating, archaeomagnetic dating, fission track dating, stratigraphy, dendrochronology, obsidian hydration dating, and radiocarbon dating. This paper will discuss the latter four methods, with an emphasis on the shortcomings of each."

Tags:absolute, age, archaeology, artifacts, chronology, cultures, dating, endrochronology, fossils, history, human, hydration, measurement, obsidian, past, prehistoric, radiocarbon, relative, remains, stratigraphy, temporal, time

Abstract
This paper looks at the findings from the site Olduvai Gorge. Despite the many years since the first discoveries, Olduvai remains an extremely important archaeological site. Debate over the significance of the Olduvai artifacts continues and new information may be revealed as new archaeological analysis techniques come into use.

From the Paper
"Olduvai Gorge has been described as the most important Palaeolithic site in Africa (Bray, 1970). Excavations of Olduvai, by Drs. Mary and Louis Leakey after 1931 [although conducted by Hans Reck prior to this (Ecco Homo, 1986)] unearthed a treasure of hominid fossils and stone tools (Potts, 1988). Oduvai has influenced views on evolution and shaped our ideas about the origins of human hunting and gathering (as well as cultural learning) behaviours. (Potts, 1988). Discoveries at Olduvai also include faunal remains, living floors and what is probably the oldest known human structure (Leakey, 1971)."

Tags:archeology

Abstract
This paper discusses the discovery of a Neolithic man in the Otzaler Alps. It discusses the actual discovery, description of how life was during his time period, and the many other findings upon testing this four thousand year old corpse.

From the Paper
"Otzi therefore lived during the late Neolithic period. Since his time of life was narrowed down it can be assumed that his community or culture was very active in pottery and other ceramic items. During the time of the Iceman Neolithic farming was taking place. Raising crops and livestock was quite common."

Tags:anthropology, ice, man, neolithic

Abstract
This paper focuses on the new evolved state of human beings where we are actually questioning our origins and how we came to be. The paper focuses on the different stages in the evolution of man, providing examples of fossil discoveries to show how humans have changed over time.

From the Paper
"With our knowledge of geological processes we are now able to determine the biological and cultural development of the species "Homo sapiens," or human beings. A large number of human fossil bones and teeth have been found at various places throughout the world along with tools of stone, bone, and wood. As a result of these discoveries, a picture of human evolution during the past 4 to 5 million years has emerged."

Tags:africa, archaeology, creation, darwin, darwinian, development, devloping, evolution, evolve, evolving, fossil, fossils, homo, man, migration, primate, sapien, sapiens, science