Western Civilization: Chapter 1 Vocabulary

Neolithic Age

The New Stone Age, characterized by the development of agriculture and the use of stone tools.

Bronze Age

The period in human history between the Stone and Iron Ages, characterized by the use of bronze for weapons and tools.

culture

The knowledge and adaptive behavior created by communities that helps them to mediate between themselves and the natural world through time.

civilization

The term used by archaeologists to describe a society differentiated by levels of wealth and power, and in which religious, economic, and political control are based in cities.

food-producing revolution

Sometimes called the first agricultural revolution; era in prehistory when humans began to cultivate crops and domesticate animals.

Levantine Corridor

Also known as the Fertile Crescent, this arc of land stretching from the Jordan River to the Euphrates River was the place where food production and settled communities first appeared in southwest Asia (the Middle East).

Fertile Crescent

Also known as the Levantine Corridor, this 25-mile-wide arc of land stretching from the Jordan River to the Euphrates River was the place where food production and settled communities first appeared in southwest Asia (the Middle East).

megalith

A very large stone used in prehistoric European monuments in the second millennium b.c.e.

redistributive economies

Type of economic system characteristic of ancient Mesopotamian societies. The central political authority controls all agricultural resources and their redistribution.

empire

Large political formations consisting of different kingdoms or territories outside the boundaries of the states that control them.

polytheistic

Refers to polytheism, the belief in many gods.

ziggurat

Monumental tiered or terraced temple characteristic of ancient Mesopotamia.

divination

The practice of discerning the future by looking for messages imprinted in nature.

cuneiform

A kind of writing in which wedge-shaped symbols are pressed into clay tablets to indicate words and ideas. Cuneiform writing originated in ancient Sumer.

patriarchy

A social or cultural system in which men occupy the positions of power; in a family system, a father-centered household.

ma’at

Ancient Egyptian concept of the fundamental order established by the gods.

hieroglyphic

Ancient Egyptian system of writing that represented both sounds and objects.

pharaoh

Title for the Egyptian king, used during the New Kingdom period.

vizier

The chief minister of state in New Kingdom Egypt, the vizier supervised the administration of the entire kingdom.

monotheism

The belief in only one god, first attributed to the ancient Hebrews. Monotheism is the foundation of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Zoroastrianism.