Funeral and Burial Rituals from Around the World
…in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes. — Benjamin Franklin
Death is inevitable and, as Franklin states, so are taxes. Here in the US we’re a little over a month away from tax day, but rather than dwell on that, today’s infographic takes a look at the other side of the certainty coin – death. It’s unavoidable and we all deal with it in different ways, from our grieving process to the cultural norms and rituals that surround it. Take a look at 42 different funeral and burial rituals from around the world to see many of these different expressions. [VIA]
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Tags: anthropology, burial, culture, death and dying, funeral, history, infographic, reference, social studies, sociology, world culture
20 Breakfasts from Around the World
What do you like for breakfast? Do you go big with a full plate of bacon, eggs, and pancakes? Maybe you like small breakfasts, like a little fruit and coffee? Perhaps just oatmeal or cold cereal? Around the world different cultures obviously have different palates and ideas about what constitutes a good, healthy breakfast. Is there anything here that appeals to your palate? [VIA]
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Tags: anthropology, breakfast, culture, education, food, infographic, reference, social studies, sociology, world culture
Stone Age Jottings (Cave Writing)
Archaeologists and anthropologists have found prehistoric, Stone Age cave dwellings all around the world, many up to 25,000 years old. Each is unique and show the living conditions of the people native to that area, including artifacts and artwork. They have discovered as well that much of the artwork in these caves is similar, and the symbols used in them are almost universal. Today’s infographic from New Scientist shows what these common symbols are and where they have been found. It makes you wonder if this is a prehistoric form of writing and communication, or a hefty coincidence.
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Tags: anthropology, archaeology, art, communication, history, prehistoric, social studies, Stone Age, writing
History of the Garage
It’s an integral part of most of our homes and something we take for granted. Usually your garage is used to house your car, but oftentimes it’s another storage room, converted bedroom, or even rehearsal space for a band! How did this space come to be, however? Today’s infographic shows the evolution of the garage from converted free-standing horse carriage houses to an actual part of our homes.
Tags: anthropology, construction, evolution, garage, history, homes, houses, infographic, social studies
The World As 100 People
For most of us, it’s almost impossible to wrap our minds around and comprehend numbers in the billions, millions, and even hundreds of thousands. The number 100 is much easier for us to grasp, however. Today’s infographic takes the population of the world and reduces it from about 7 billion to 100. Keeping the proportions identical, see how many people out of this 100 are of a certain religion, speak a certain language, have clean drinking water, and whether or not the split between male and females in the world is close to 50-50. [VIA]
Tags: anthropology, education, geography, history, infographic, population, social studies, sociology, world language
Daily Photo — NYC Subway c. 1973-1974
Use the photos posted in this feature as a writing prompt, for a warm-up activity, a drawing template or as part of a photo analysis.
From the Gothamist.com this photo is one of a series “all taken in 1973 and 1974, documenting the graffiti-marked subway system of New York City.” There is the added benefit of seeing the human condition at the same time.
Tags: anthropology, critical thinking, history, photos, social studies, sociology, warm-ups, writing
Today I have a pair of interactive links in one site, both a timeline and a documentary. The Institute of Human Origins has created both an interactive documentary and a timeline of human lineage on their site, Becoming Human.
Becoming Human is a history of the evolution of mankind beginning with the earliest known remains from about 6-7 million years ago through modern Homo Sapiens. The interactive documentary is an online exhibit that is divided into five chapters: a prologue, evidence, anatomy, lineages, and culture. Once loaded, the viewer can select any chapter to start, each has links to interactive exhibits and articles that can help explain each concept in more detail. If you click on a exhibit, once you return to the video portion you will resume right where you left off, which is a fabulous feature! In addition to streaming via a web browser on the Becoming Human site, there are download options for the video and links for both PC and Mac. You will need Internet connectivity for the links, but your bandwidth will thank you for the download!
In Becoming Human’s timeline of human lineage, students are able to see artistic representations of the remains found in their respective locations in time. Clicking on each image in the timeline will take the students to a separate page that provides information on the discovery of the remains and a secondary link will explain in depth the history of the species and genus represented in the fossil record. This is a great starting point for students learning about the evolution of mankind or studying anthropology in a social studies setting.
BONUS:
- There is also a Quicktime video about Early Craftmanship and the creation of the first stone and bone tools and weapons, their discovery, and how early man used them. If you let the video load in its entirety before playing, there is an option for chapter selection. Unfortunately, there is no download option for this feature.
- Building Bodies is an interactive lab where students can build both a chimpanzee and human skeleton to compare points of anatomy. Lesson plans and materials for conducting this activity offline are also available.
- Chromosome Connection brings the points of comparison between primates to the genetic level where students manipulate common chromosomes to show the similarities between four primates. Offline plans and materials are also available for this activity.
Tags: anthropology, biology, education, history, interactive, lesson plans, science, social studies
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