Equator
An imaginary circle around the middle of the earth, halfway between the North Pole and the South Pole
Prime meridian
0 degrees longitude
carbon dating
a scientific method used to determine the age of an artifact
hemispheres
Halves of the globe divided by the equator and prime meridian
climate
Overall weather in an area over a long period of time
plateau
A large area of flat land elevated high above sea level
peninsula
A piece of land that is surrounded by water on three sides.
archipelago
A group of islands
region
an area of Earth distinguished by a distinctive combination of cultural and physical features
continent vs island
Islands are small pieces of land surrounded by water from all sides, Continent is the term given to huge continuous landmasses
ocean vs sea
Seas are smaller than oceans and are usually located where the land and ocean meet.
river and delta
The end of a river where rich deposits of silt build up. This is important to human habitation due to the excellent source of good farmland.
artifacts
object made by human beings, either hand
culture
Beliefs, customs, and traditions of a specific group of people.
hominids
A species on the human branch of the evolutionary tree; a member of the family Hominidae, including Homo sapiens and our ancestors
australopithecines
Any hominid that walked upright.
paleolithic age
(750,000 BCE
homo habilis
(man of skill) first to make stone tools, handyman, extinct species of upright east African hominid having some advanced humanlike characteristics.
homo erectus
"Upright man" these hominids became skillful hunters and invented more sophisticated tools for digging, scraping and cutting. They also became the first hominids to migrate from Africa. Also were the first to use fire.
homo sapiens
A species of the creatures Hominid who have larger brains and to which humans belong, dependent of language and usage of tools. Modern humans
neanderthals
In Europe, another human species lived and adapted to life in the cold climates of the last Ice Age.
Cro magnons
fully modern humans; found in Europe in 40,000-8,000 B.C., prehistorical, similar bone structure, closely resembled modern humans
archeologists
scientists who study human artifacts to learn about past cultures.
anthropologists
People who study the artifacts and remains of humans in order to learn about the cultures of these people.
paleontologists
Scientists who studies fossils
Neolithic Age
"New Stone Age"; About 10,000 years ago marked by advances in the production of stone tools. Shift from hunting and gathering to agriculture
technology
The application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes
hunter
gatherers
"Out of Africa" Theory
also called the replacement theory; this theory refers to when Homo sapiens sapiens began spreading out of Africa to other parts of the world about 100,000 years ago and replacing populations of earlier hominids in Europe and Asia
Lascaux Cave
A cave discovered in 1940 and containing exceptionally fine Paleolithic wall paintings and engravings
Stonehenge
a structure found by scientists in England is believed to have been built in the Neolithic Age and Bronze Age, 2500
nomads
people who wander from place to place
neolithic revolution
The switch from nomadic lifestyles to a settled agricultural lifestyle is this revolution. turning point in the stone age when humans began farming (10,000
slash-and-burn farming
a farming method in which people clear fields by cutting and burning trees and grasses, the ashes of which serve to fertilize the soil
domestication
the taming of animals for human use, such as work or as food
fertile crescent
A geographical area of fertile land in the Middle East stretching in a broad semicircle from the Nile to the Tigris and Euphrates
Jarmo
- Zagros/Zargos mountains in northeastern Iraq are apart of Jarmo and is the birthplace of agriculture
- People here and other places were pioneering a new way of life.
- Villagers such as Jarmo marked the beginning of a new era and laid the foundation for modern life.
CATAL HUYUK
Fertile plain in south-central Turkey
- Showed benefits of settled life
- Wheat, barley, peas, sheep, cattle
- Many skilled workers
- Obsidian
- Wall paintings of animals and hunting
- Shrines dedicated to mother goddess (thought she controlled grain supply
- Drawbacks: floods, fire, drought, & other natural disasters that destroyed the village
- Jealous neighbors and nomadic bands might attack wealthy looking village
- Some early villages expanded into cities that would become the setting for more complex cultures
artisans
a worker in a skilled trade, especially one that involves making things by hand.
bronze age
a period of human culture between the Stone Age and the Iron Age, characterized by the use of weapons and implements made of bronze, around 3000 BC
latitude
Distance north or south of the equator
longitude
Distance east or west of the prime meridian
compass rose
A tool on a map showing cardinal (N,E,S,W) and intermediate (NE,SE,NW,SW) directions.
scale
the relationship between the portion of Earth being studied and Earth as a whole