Unit 1: Development of Civilizations Vocabulary

KAP World History KVS

Neolithic revolution

shift from hunting/gathering food to the development of agriculture

Domestication

The process of cultivating plants to maintain a supply and/or taming an animal to keep for eating and breeding.

Hunter-Gatherers

People who live by hunting, fishing, and harvestingLinks to an external site. wild food.

Systematic agriculture

growing and harvesting food on a regular basis

Archaeologists

analyze physical artifacts—like tools, pottery, and ruins—by excavating sites and using techniques such as carbon dating to determine age and historical context.

Artisans

skilled workers who make products like weapons and jewelry

Culture

the way of life of a people in a certain time and place

Civilization

complex culture in which large numbers of human beings share several common elements (cities, government, religion, social structure, writing, art)

City-states

the basic units of Mesopotamian (Sumerian) civilization

Polytheistic

belief in many gods

Anthropologists

study cultures and human behavior through observation, interviews, and analysis of customs, languages, and traditions to understand societal development over time.

Ziggurat

massive, stepped tower that held a Sumerian temple dedicated to the chief god or goddess of the city

Theocracy

a government established by divine authority

Historians

examine written records, documents, and primary sources (like letters, laws, and speeches), cross-referencing evidence to build accurate accounts of past events.

Cuneiform

Sumerian writing using a reed stylus to make wedge shaped marks on clay tablets

Dynasty

a family of rulers whose right to rule is passed on within the family

Pharaoh

title of Egyptian monarch meaning “great house” or “palace”

Geographers

use maps, satellite images, and spatial data to study how human and physical features interact across space and time, often using tools like GIS (Geographic Information Systems).

Bureaucracy

administrative organization with officials and regular procedures

Hieroglyphics

Egyptian writing meaning “priest carvings” or “sacred writings”

Pastoral Nomads

nomadic groups who domesticated animals for food and clothing

Monotheistic

believing in one God

Monsoon

a seasonal wind pattern in Southern Asia bringing heavy rainfall

Sanskrit

Indo-European writing in the Indus Valley

Aristocracy

upper class whose wealth is based on land and whose power is passed on from on generation to another

Dao

“way,” the correct or divine way

Filial piety

the duty of family members to subordinate their needs and desires to those of the make head of the family

Empire

large political unit or state, usually under a single leader, that controls many peoples or territories

Patriarchal

dominated by men