Bi5120 Anthropology

Faculty of Science
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 2 credit(s) (fasci plus compl plus > 4). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
doc. RNDr. Eva Drozdová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. RNDr. Eva Drozdová, Ph.D.
Department of Experimental Biology – Biology Section – Faculty of Science
Contact Person: doc. RNDr. Eva Drozdová, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Experimental Biology – Biology Section – Faculty of Science
Prerequisites
This course is designated for students their main specialisations is not primarily anthropology, but are interested in this kind of science.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 22 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The course gives an overview of field of Physical Anthropology. The student will be introduced to Historical Anthropology (study of skeletal remains of historical poulations, mummies and cremations) and Auxology (variability of recent populations, ontogenetic development, body types, body mass, body weight). At the end of this course, students should be able to understand the basics of Physical Anthropology.
Learning outcomes
Student will understand of division of anthropology and contents of its studies.
Will ne oriented in historical anthropology
Will know basic methods used in historical anthropology
Will be oriented in anatomy of human skeleton and will know how treat human skeletal remains, cremations and mummified bodies
Will ne oriented in human auxology and human development from newborn to high age
Will know basic methods of auxology
Will be familiar with basic parameters of contemporary Czech population
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction to Anthropology Anthropology. Characteristics. Division. Usage. Problems.
  • Introduction to Historical Anthropology
  • 2.Sources of human skeletal material. Cemeteries, tombs, war graves. Etic aspects of exploration of human historical skeletal material. Types of burials: primary, secondary, tertiary.
  • 3.Basics of anatomy of human skeleton. Bone tissue. Anatomical terminology, skull normes. Basics of anatomy of skull and postcranial skeleton, skull of newborn. Mutilation and deformation of human body with focus on skeletal mutilations.
  • 4. Exploration of primary burials. An overview of biological characters that is possible to detect from human skeletal remains.
  • 5.Determination of sex and age in human skeletal remains. Sexial dimorphism. Influence of age on sex markers. Principles of morphoscopic and morphometric methods. Methods of determination of age in children and adults. Biological age contra chronological age. Factors that influences accuracy of age diagnosis. Age classes.
  • 6.Study of secondary burials and cremations Characteristics of secondary burials. Satus of preservation of bones of adults and non-adult individuals. Methods of counting minimum number of individuals and maximum number of individuals. Theory and definition of cremation. Thermically caused changes in bone tissue. Methods of study of cremations.
  • 7. Study of mummified remains of human body. The purpose of mummification in various nations in the world in history. Spontaneous and anthropogenic mummification. Mechanisms of mummification: thermal effects, desiccation, chemical effects, anaerobic conditions, excarnation. Contemporary methods of mummification. Taphonomy of mummified tissues and body parts. Section of a mummy, method.
  • Introduction to anthropology of recent populations
  • 8. Human variability I - individual adaptations Causes of human variability and its displays. Physiological adaptations, models and examples (adaptation to coldness, wet and dry heat, nourishment, high-altitude).
  • 9. Human variability II - evolutionary adaptations Evolutionary adaptation. Models and examples (hemoglobin variants, blood group polymorphisms, pigmentation).
  • 10. Individual development of organism Growth and development of human organism. Prenatal development (changes in embryonal and fetal period). Postnatal development (changes in growth and development together with changes in psychic and mental rise). Adulthood.
  • 11. Body weight and somatotypical variability. Models of body composition. Development of body composition and body mass distribution. Typology of body composition. Determining of somatotype. Assessment of optimal body weight.
  • 12. Biological age Developmental age. Dental age. Skeletal age. Proportional age. Assessment of biological age in adults.
  • 13. Stability and predictability of development Prediction of body height. Prediction based on biological age. Morphological-functional relationships – modeling in e.g. sportsmen and their somatotypes.
Literature
  • WHITE, T. D., Michael T. BLACK and Pieter A. FOLKENS. Human osteology. 3rd ed. Amsterdam: Academic Press, 2012, xxvi, 662. ISBN 9780123741349. info
  • MIELKE, James H., Lyle W. KONIGSBERG and John RELETHFORD. Human biological variation. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011, xv, 443. ISBN 9780195387407. info
  • HENKE, Winfried and Ian TATTERSALL. Handbook of Paleoanthropology. 1st ed. Berlin: Spronger Verlag, 2007, 2173 pp. ISBN 978-3-540-32474-4. info
  • RIEGEROVÁ, Jarmila, Miroslava PŘIDALOVÁ and Marie ULBRICHOVÁ. Aplikace fyzické antropologie v tělesné výchově a sportu : (příručka funkční antropologie). 3. vyd. Olomouc: Hanex, 2006, 262 s. ISBN 8085783525. info
  • MIELKE, James H., Lyle W. KONIGSBERG and John RELETHFORD. Human biological variation. New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, 2006, xiv, 418. ISBN 0195188713. info
  • BASS, William M. Human osteology : a laboratory and field manual. 5th ed. Columbia, Mo.: Missouri Archaeological Society, 2005, xviii, 365. ISBN 9780943414966. info
  • SOUKUP, Václav. Dějiny antropologie : (encyklopedický přehled dějin fyzické antropologie, paleoantropologie, sociální a kulturní antropologie). Praha: Karolinum, 2004, 667 s. ISBN 8024603373. info
  • VANČATA, Václav and Jaroslav MALINA. Panoráma biologické a sociokulturní antropologie 13: Paleoantropologie - přehled fylogeneze člověka a jeho předků. Editor: Jaroslav Malina. Brno (CZ): Nadace Universitas Masarykiana v Brně, nakladatelství a vydavatelství Nauma v Brně, 2003, 212 pp. Modulové učební texty pro studenty antropologie. ISBN 80-210-3049-6. info
  • Antropologie :příručka pro studium kostry. Edited by Milan Stloukal. 1. vyd. Praha: Národní muzeum, 1999, 510 s. ISBN 80-7036-101-8. info
  • BENEŠ, Jan. Člověk (Human). 1st ed. Praha: Mladá Fronta, 1994, 342 pp. ISBN 80-204-0460-0. info
Teaching methods
Lectures.
Assessment methods
Written test and oral exam.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2007 - for the purpose of the accreditation, Autumn 2010 - only for the accreditation, Autumn 2002, Autumn 2003, Autumn 2004, Autumn 2005, Autumn 2006, Autumn 2007, Autumn 2008, Autumn 2009, Autumn 2010, Autumn 2011, Autumn 2011 - acreditation, Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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