Key Words:

Anthropology - the scientific study of humans. Archaeology is a branch of anthropology that studies past cultures through the analysis of material remains or artifacts.

Culture - shared behaviors, ideas, and artifacts. A way of life passed from one generation to another.

Cultural relativism - studying other cultures without imposing our values on them.

Ethnocentrism - an attitude or perception that one's own culture and values are the only right and proper way, and that other cultures are wrong or deficient.

• What do you need to survive? All human beings, regardless of their culture, have the following basic needs that must be met in order to survive: food and water; clothing and shelter; reproduction of culture through marriage, kinship, education. Humans also have a need to interpret and explain the world around them through religion, philosophy, and science.
• The way you satisfy your needs can be a reflection of your culture. Every culture fulfills its needs in different ways, resulting in the great cultural diversity that we see in the world.
• Should we emphasize similarities and differences when studying other cultures? Both similarities and differences can enrich our knowledge of other cultures. However, there is a tendency to point out differences between our own culture and the culture of others. A focus on differences often leads us to view other cultures as "simple" or "less" than our own. This attitude or perception of cultural superiority is called ethnocentrism.
• How can we study cultures without being ethnocentric? Ethnocentrism can be avoided by studying other cultures without making judgements about them. This approach is called cultural relativism. One way to achieve cultural relativism is to study cultures scientifically and without cultural biases.
• Why is it important that archaeologists use scientific methods to study past cultures? Archaeologists cannot see or talk to the people they are studying, so they must be careful when making judgements about past cultures. By scientifically studying the foods, raw materials, and other artifacts people used to meet their basic needs, archaeologists can make general inferences about that culture.