STS: Historical Antecedents of the World

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering key historical ages, scientific breakthroughs, inventions, and pre-Columbian civilizations from Lecture 02.

Stone Age

A prehistoric period spanning from 2.5 mya to 3000 BC during which human ancestors used stone and flint tools, controlled fire for cooking, and left minimal written records.

Paleolithic Period

An early stage of the Stone Age characterized by pit houses, fur clothing, hunting tools, personal ornaments, and figurines like the "Venus".

Mesolithic Period

An ancient cultural stage occurring between the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods, coincided with the retreat of glaciers at the end of the Ice Age and marked by the creation of microliths.

Microliths

Small, refined stone tools distinctive to the Mesolithic Period.

Neolithic Period

The final stage of the Stone Age characterized by the domestication of plants and animals, the development of agricultural tools, and the establishment of settled villages.

Bronze Age

A historical period marked by the birth of smelting and the production of bronze tools and weapons, first discovered by the Sumerians of Mesopotamia.

Smelting

The process of extracting metal from ore using high heat, pioneered by the Sumerians for bronze and later developed in advanced smelting pits for iron.

Iron Age

A period spanning from 1500 BC to 450 AD, initiated when iron was first smelted from ore in the South Caucasus, leading to durable tools that made agriculture easier.

South Caucasus

The geographical region where iron was first smelted from an ore, giving rise to the Iron Age.

Seismoscope

An ancient Chinese instrument invented to detect earthquakes and indicate the direction of their seismic origin.

Gutenberg Revolution

The period of rapid dissemination of knowledge sparked by Johannes Gutenberg's introduction of movable metal type printing in Europe.

Incunabula

A term derived from the word for "cradle" or "birthplace," referring to books printed in Europe during the earliest period of printing prior to 1501.

Copernican Heliocentrism

The astronomical theory proposed by Nicolaus Copernicus positioning the Sun at the center of the solar system rather than the Earth.

Geocentrism

The ancient astronomical model asserting that the Earth is the stationary center of the universe around which the Sun and planets revolve.

Law of Planetary Motion

Astronomical principles formulated by Johannes Kepler describing how planets move in elliptical orbits around the Sun.

Theory of Evolution

The scientific framework presented by Charles Darwin in The Origin of Species, proposing that species evolve over generations through natural selection.

Structural Theory of Personality

Sigmund Freud's psychological model postulating that human behavior is shaped by interactions among three distinct components of the mind: the id, ego, and superego.

Industrial Revolution

A transformative era of industrial and economic development starting in Great Britain during the latter half of the 18th century.

Post-Gutenberg Revolution

The modern era defined by the emergence of the Internet and the World Wide Web, establishing the rise of the digital age.

Information Age

An era beginning around the 1970s—also called the Computer Age, Digital Age, or New Media Age—where information became easily accessible through digital technologies.

Analytical Engine

A mechanical computing device designed by Charles Babbage, recognized as the earliest concept of a general-purpose computer.

Mayans

A pre-Columbian civilization known for their river settlements, advanced textile weaving, and early cultivation and use of cocoa.

Aztecs

A pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilization recognized for constructing high temples, developing complex calendar stones, and maintaining strong warrior traditions.

Incas

An ancient Andean civilization famous for constructing mountain sites like Machu Picchu, building agricultural terrace farming systems, and utilizing llama and alpaca wool.