Pre-AP World History VOCAB 1

Archaeology

The study and analysis of artifacts and other physical remains.

Artifact

A human-made object, such as a tool, weapon, or piece of jewelry.

Cultural Diffusion

The spreading of ideas or products from one culture to another.

. Culture

Culture is the way of life of a group of people.  It includes beliefs, values, and practices.  Culture can be handed down from one generation to the next through learning and experience.

Customs and traditions

Rules of behavior.  Set of unwritten practices passed down from generation to generation.

Domestication

Taming wild animals for farm use or food

Ethnocentrism

The belief/attitude that one’s culture is superior to others.

Geography

The study of the earth’s structure, features, products, and the political, economic, and social divisions of human beings.

Migration

The act of moving from one place to settle in another.

Neolithic Revolution

The major change in human life caused by the beginnings of farming- that is, by people’s shift from food fathering to food producing.

Neolithic/ New Stone Age

A prehistoric period that began about 8,000 BC and in some areas ended as early as 3,000 BC, during which people learned to polish stone tools, make pottery, grow crops, and raise animals- also called the “New Stone Age.”

Nomads

A member of a group that has no permanent home, wandering from place to place in search of food and water.

Paleolithic/ Old Stone Age

A prehistoric period that last from about 2,500,000 to 8,000 BC, during which people made use of crude stone tools and weapons- also called the “Old Stone Age.”

Prehistory

Period of time before mankind invented writing.

Sociology

The study of how societies, and the people within in, develop and interact with one another.

Subsistence Farming

Self-sufficient farming, where farmers focus on growing enough food to feed themselves and their families.  First emerged during the Neolithic Revolution.

Barter System

A form of trade in which people exchange goods and services without the use of money.

City-state

A city and its surrounding lands functioning as an independent political unit.

Civilization

A form of culture characterized by cities, specialized workers, complex institutions, record keeping, and advanced technology.

Codified Law

A comprehensive and uniform system of laws, collected and organized in a written system.

Cuneiform

A system of writing with symbols, invented by the Sumerians around 3,000 BC.

Hammurabi’s Code

Created by Hammurabi, emperor of Babylon, Hammurabi’s Code was a unified set of laws used to help unify the diverse groups and keep order within the Babylonian Empire.  Hammurabi’s code consisted of rules, judgments, and laws and was engraved in stone.  Copies were places all over the empire. 

 Hierarchy

A system or organization in which people or groups are ranked according to status or authority.

 Hieroglyphics

An ancient Egyptian writing system in which pictures were used to represent ideas and sounds.

 Mandate of Heaven

In Chinese history, the divine approval thought to be the basis of royal authority.

 Monotheism

A belief in a single god.

 Polytheism

A belief in many gods.

Theocracy

(1) A government in which the ruler is viewed as a divine figure. (2) A government controlled by religious leaders.

Ziggurat

A tiered, pyramid- shaped structure that formed part of a Sumerian temple.

 Subcontinent

A large landmass that forms a distinct part of a continent.