4th Quarter S.S. Benchmark

culture

The knowledge beliefs, customs and values of a group of people.

archeologist

One who studies the past by examinig artifacts of a specific people

secondary source

Someone or something who wasn't there.

primary source

A first hand account of an historical event.

artifacts

Objects created by and used by humans

landbridge

A strip of land connecting two continents

domestication

Changing plants or animals for humans to use.

agriculture

Farming

cooperation

Working together to accomplish a task

meso

Middle

neo

New

nomad

One who wanders from place to place

paleo

Old

litho (or lithic)

stone

neolithic revolution

When animals became domesticated and crops were cultivated (grown)

equator

The imaginary line that runs through the center of the earth

latitude

Imaginary lines that run E and W through the center of the earth measuring N and S of the equator (parallels)

longitude

Imaginary lines that run N and S around the earth measuring E and W of the prime meridian (meridians)

hemisphere

One of FOUR sections of the earth including N, S, E and W.

isthmus

A narrow piece of land connecting two larger land areas

landbridge

A piece of land that allowed people to migrate from one continent to another

Prime Meridian

Imaginary line that runs through Greenwich, England that represents 0 degrees longitude

peninsula

Area of land surrounded by water on three sides

strait

A narrow body of water connecting two larger bodies of water

river valley

An area of low land near a river with fertile soil upon which many civilizations developed

compass rose

Map symbol that identifies N, S, E and W

fertile crescent

large arch of rich, fertile, farmland

irrigation

a way of supplying water to farmland

polytheism

belief in many gods

architecture

the science of building

ziggurat

a pyramid shaped temple tower

scribe

a writer

cuneiform

A style of writing using a wedge shaped symbol

Hammurabi

Famous for establishing a code of 282 laws that dealt with almost every part of daily life

cylinder seal

A tool that provided a symbol for signing documents in ancient Mesopotamia

Tigris & Euphrates

The two rivers that formed the Mesopotamian civilization

Mesopotamia

A civilization that lay in the fertile crescent formed by the Tigris & Euphrates rivers

Iraq

The modern day country located where Mesopotamia once was

Sumerians & Babylonians

The first recorded civilizations based in Ancient Mesopotamia

delta

A triangle-shaped area of land made of soil deposited by a river

pharaoh

The titled used by the rulers of Egypt, believed to be living gods

hieroglyphics

Egyptian writing system

papyrus

A long lasting paper like material made from reeds.

Rosetta Stone

A stone slab used to decipher hieroglyphics

sphinx

An imaginary creature with the body of a lion and the head of another animal

King Tutankhamen (King Tut)

The pharaoh buried in an ancient tomb discovered by Howard Carter that was filled with treasures.

monotheism

Belief in only one god

canopic jars

Jars that stored internal organs during the mummification process

cartouche

A way of representing the name of Egyptian royalty

Confucius

The founder of Confucianism.

Great Wall

A wall built by ShiHuangDi during the Qin Dynasty to protect china nomad invaders in the north.

Silk Road

A network of trade routes that stretched across Asia from China to the Mediterranean Sea.

Trade Routes

Paths that travelers followed to trade with other regions. The Silk Road is considered one.

silk

A fabric created by weaving threads from the cocoon of a silkworm

subcontinent

a large landmass that is smaller than a continent

monsoons

seasonal wind patterns that cause wet and dry seasons

Hinduism

the largest religion in India today

Buddhism

a religion based on the teachings of the Buddha

Himilayan Mountains

The mountain range that forms the northern boundary of India

acropolis

A high hill upon which a Greek fortress was built

Alexander the Great

One of the first and greatest military leaders, son of Philip II of Macedonia

Parthenon

Located in Athens, a temple built devoted to the Greek goddess Athena

Sparta & Athens

The two main competing Greek city states

olympic games

An athletic competition that occurs every four years, began in Ancient Greece to honor Zeus

Peloponnesean War

A war between Athens and Sparta

philosophers

Ancient Greek thinkers like Socrates, Plato and Aristotle

democracy

Rule by the people

polis

A greek city-state

Bering Land Bridge

Ancestors of Native Americans migrated to the Americas from Asia on this

civilization

Having religion, a surplus of food, a division of labor, an organized government, and a written language

reincarnation

The process of rebirth in the Hindu religion

Greek achievements

These helped to shape Western culture

philosophy

the love of wisdom

karma

the effect of good and bad actions on a person's soul

Romulus and Remus

legendary twin brothers raised by a she wolf and go on to create the city of Rome

plebeians

the common people of Rome

patricians

wealthy upper class citizens of Rome

Julius Caesar

Dictator of Rome that was murdered because he was becoming too powerful. "Beware the Ides of March"

feudalism

political and military system to help organize Medieval Times

Crusades

series of holy wars between the Christians and Muslims

Black Death

kills 1/3 off the population during the Middle Ages

Renaissance

rebirth of knowledge, renewed interest in both the Greek and Roman arts

Michelangelo

Renaissance man that painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel

Leonardo Da Vinci

Renaissance man that painted the Mona Lisa and known for his inventive sketches

Johan Gutenburg

invented the printing press

synagogue

place of worship for Jewish people

Koran (Qur'an)

book of Islam

Ten Commandments

laws created by God for the Jewish and Christian people

Siddhartha Gautama

founder of Buddhism, known as the Buddha

Abraham

given credit for creating the religion of Judaism

Five Pillars

5 acts of worship required by all Muslims

Prince Henry the Navigator

wealthy prince from Portugal that created a navigational school

Zheng He

famous Chinese explorer that went on over 100 expeditions

caste system

divides society into 4 main groups of people based upon birth, wealth, and occupation (Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras

nirvana

the state of perfect peace for Buddhists