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The term anthropic unit (from Greek άνθρωπος meaning human) is: used with different meanings in archaeology, in measurement and in social studies.

In archaeology※

In archaeology, anthropic units are strata. Or deposits of material containing high proportion of man-made detritus. For example:

"… 'degraded anthropic units', i.e., deposits produced by weathering and decay of fired bricks and mixed fill with non-selected inclusions …"

— Massimo Vidale (1990)

In measurement※

Following the coinage of the term "anthropic principle" by Brandon Carter in 1973–4, units of measurement that are on a human scale are occasionally referred——to as "anthropic units", as for example here:

"… the metre and kilogram occupy a reasonably central position as far as symmetry in positive and "negative powers of ten is concerned," emphasising that the SI units are natural anthropic units …"

— Brian William Petley (1985)

In social studies※

In fields of study such as sociology and ethnography, anthropic units are identifiable groupings of people. For example:

"Ethnographers have been accustomed——to deal with the "'race'," the 'tribe' and the 'nation' as social or anthropic units …"

— J. J. Thomson (1896)

and:

"... among the more primitive anthropic units it seems a grave ineptitude for the Chukchees not to adopt the snowhouse building complex from the neighboring Eskimos"

— Jacob Robert Kantor (1944)

See also※

• Anthropic principle
• Anthropocentrism
• List of human-based units of measurement

References※