History Unit 1 - Civilization, Migration, Globalization

Hunter-gatherer

How humans lived before agriculture (animals and wild plants). Most hunter-gatherers were nomads

Nomad

A person who moves from place to place, rather than living in one permanent settlement (follow animal herds and seasonal plants)

Herder

A person who raises and manages animals

Domestication

Taming and containing plants or animals so humans can use them (breeding goats for milk)

Agriculture

Farming: growing crops and raising animals for food ( allowed for permanent villages

Neolithic (Agricultural) Revolution

The period when humans transitioned from hunting and gathering to farming (led to permanent settlements)

"Geographically blessed"

A group of people living an area good for farming (fertile river valleys with fresh water + mid climate)

Surplus

Excess of food, more than people need to survive (needed for a society to thrive)

Specialization of labor

When people can have different jobs because not everyone has to grow food (potters priests, traders, etc.)

Civilization

A complex society defined by certain traits, such as cities, government, writing and specialized jobs

Bodies of water (rivers)

Early civilizations grew up near rivers (provides fresh water, fertile soil, and often irrigation)

Bronze Age civilizations

The first river-valley civilizations, about 3300 BCE to 1200 BCE (Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus, China

Urbanization

People moving into cities (rural families moving into cities for jobs)

Megacity

A city of more than 10 million people (New york and Tokyo)

Suburbs

Communities beside major cities

Slums/Shanty towns

Poor, dense urban areas, often formed when a city grows faster than it can build housing

Population explosion

A rapid, dramatic increase in the number of people (like in the 1900s)

"Green" Revolution

The mid-1900s jump in food production and technology (created surplus that helped feed a fast-growing population)

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

A pyramid of the different areas of needs people must meet (food and water, safety then belonging, respect etc.)

Migration

The movement of people (emigration and immigration)

Emigration

Leaving a place

Immigration

Coming to a place

Pull factor

A reason to go somewhere (opportunity, space, freedom, etc.)

Push factor

A reason to leave (War, famine, environmental disaster)

Refugee

A person forced to leave their home (families escaping war or persecution)

Culture

Shared beliefs, customs, and ways of life (food, language, traditions)

Anthropology

The study of people and their culture

Archaeology

Excavating physical sites to get historical information (ancient cities like the Indus Valley)

Cultural relativism

Understanding a culture on its own terms (why it makes sense to the people who practice it)

Ethnocentrism

Prioritizing your own culture and worldview, and assuming it is superior (looks at other groups as "weird")

Nationalism

Assumed superiority of your own country (your country is better than others)