Unit 3- Ancient Civilizations (Mississippian, Mayan, Inca, Aztec)

sedentary

a person that lives in one place

nomadic

a person that moves from place to place

tribe

a social group based on some similarity (location, ancestors, religion, etc.)

chief

a leader or ruler of a tribe or clan

religion

the belief or worship of a superhuman power

chiefdom

a territory ruled by a chief

specialization

when one person focuses on one job and produces more of the good than they can use

polytheistic

the belief in many gods

rituals

ceremonies or traditions

constellation

a pattern of stars in the sky

oral tradition

history or stories that are passed down by word of mouth

fertile soil

land that is good for farming

terrace farming

growing crops on ledges on a mountain side

preserve

to save

Quipu

a method of counting by tying knots into string

merchant

a person involved in trade

agriculture

the science or practice of farming

scribe

a person who is trained to read and write

Chinampas

floating gardens used by the Aztecs

hieroglyphics

a writing system that uses pictures to represent words and ideas