Technology, Artifacts, and Culture: Vocabulary Review

A vocabulary set extracted from the lecture notes, covering artifacts, material and nonmaterial culture, norms and values, major civilizations, and key technological inventions.

Artifact

A material object created or used by humans that represents a society's material culture and reveals clues about beliefs and daily life.

Material culture

The tangible, physical objects produced by a culture, such as tools, buildings, and art.

Nonmaterial culture

The intangible ideas, beliefs, values, norms, and symbols that shape a culture.

Values

A culture's central beliefs, morals, and ethical ideals.

Norms

Social rules that guide behavior in a society.

Folkways

Everyday norms for routine behavior; violations are usually mild.

Mores

Stronger norms involving moral judgments; violations attract stronger sanctions.

Taboos

Unacceptable or forbidden behaviors with potential severe consequences.

Laws

Formal social rules upheld by authorities; violations carry official punishments.

Language

A system of symbols used for communication, essential to shared culture.

Symbols

Signs or objects that convey meaning beyond their literal form.

Symbolic icons

Symbols (like the cross or other emblems) that carry cultural or religious meaning.

Entropy

A measure of energy dispersion or disorder within a system; used as an example of a culturally defined term.

Fertile Crescent

The crescent-shaped region in the Middle East where early civilizations arose (Sumer, Babylon, Assyria).

Mesopotamia

Region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers; cradle of early civilizations and writing.

Sumerians

Earliest known literate civilization in southern Mesopotamia; pioneered cuneiform writing.

Cuneiform

One of the earliest writing systems, developed by the Sumerians on clay tablets.

Harappan (Indus Valley Civilization)

Indus River Valley civilization known for urban planning and sanitation; Mahenjo-daro is a key site.

Mohenjo-daro

Major Harappan city demonstrating an urban grid and sophisticated sanitation.

Egypt

Ancient civilization along the Nile noted for hieroglyphics, papyrus, pyramids, and advances in various technologies.

Bronze Age

Era defined by the use of bronze tools and weapons and related social changes.

Iron Age

Era defined by widespread iron use, transforming societies across Africa, Asia, and Europe.

Paleolithic

Old Stone Age; early period of human tool use and hunter-gatherer living.

Neolithic

New Stone Age; advent of farming, settled communities, and later crafts.

Calcolithic (Copper)

Copper Age; transitional period with early metal tools.

Wheel

Invention around 2500 BC in Mesopotamia that transformed transport and society.

Inuit

Arctic peoples whose technology (e.g., snowshoes, kayaks) illustrates sophisticated material culture adapted to extreme cold.