Origins of Civilization: Prehistory to 4000 BCE

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the study of early humans, prehistoric migrations, the Agricultural Revolution, and the defining features of early civilizations.

Anthropology

The study of the human body and how humans behave.

Archaeologist

A scientist who studies the past by examining the physical things that people left behind.

Prehistory

The period of time before written records were kept.

Fossil

The hardened remains or imprints of living things that existed long ago.

Artifact

Anything that is man-made or was used by humans.

Geologist

A scientist who studies the physical materials of Earth itself, such as rocks.

Radioactive Dating

A scientific dating method that measures the breakdown of radioactive elements to determine when an object formed, useful for materials up to about $50,000$ years old.

Homo habilis

An early human ancestor discovered by Mary and Louis Leakey at Olduvai Gorge, meaning "handy man."

Hunter-Gatherer

A person who survives by hunting wild animals and gathering wild plants.

Paleolithic Era

The Old Stone Age, lasting from about $2.5$ million years ago to roughly $10,000$ years ago, when early humans used stone tools.

Band

A small group of Stone Age hunter-gatherers, typically composed of ten or $12$ adults and their children.

Culture

The elements that define a society's way of life, including social and family organization, beliefs and values, technology, shelter and clothing, common activities, rituals, and art.

Neanderthals

A large-brained hominin group that emerged in Europe and parts of Asia roughly $200,000$ years ago, named after the Neander Valley in Germany.

Homo sapiens

The scientific name for modern humans, meaning "wise people," who appeared approximately $200,000$ years ago.

Migration

The movement of people when they leave their homeland to settle and live somewhere else.

Adapt

To modify or change one's way of life to survive in a new environment.

Glacier

A thick sheet of ice that spreads across large regions of Earth during an ice age.

Network

A closely interconnected group of people or things.

Animism

The belief that the natural world is filled with spirits.

Neolithic Era

The New Stone Age, marked by the emergence of agriculture and permanent settlements.

Domesticate

To adapt or change wild plants or animals over generations so they become useful to humans.

Neolithic Agricultural Revolution

The historical transition from hunting and gathering to farming that fundamentally transformed human society and culture.

Nomad

A person who moves from place to place rather than living permanently in one location, often herding livestock in pastoral nomadism.

Smelting

The process of using intense heat to extract and separate metals from mineral ores.

Çatalhöyük

An ancient, tightly packed Neolithic farming settlement located in present-day Turkey that housed up to $6,000$ people more than $8,000$ years ago.

Surplus

An extra quantity of an item, such as food, beyond what is immediately needed to survive.

Specialization

An economic arrangement where individuals concentrate their labor on a single job, trade, or craft.

Uruk

Widely regarded as the world's first city, founded $6,000$ to $7,000$ years ago in southern Mesopotamia.

Economy

The system used by a society or community to produce, manage, and distribute goods and services.

Civilization

A complex society characterized by urban centers (cities), organized government, and workers with specialized skills.

Resource

A supply of something that can be drawn upon and utilized as needed, such as fertile soil, fresh water, or seeds.

Irrigation

A human-made canal or ditch system built to supply water to crops and agricultural land.

Established Religion

A shared set of spiritual beliefs, rituals, and institutions regarding gods and goddesses who oversee events in the world.

Social Classes

Hierarchical groups in a society whose members occupy distinct levels of rank, wealth, and power.

Public Works

Large-scale construction projects organized by governments—such as roads, defensive walls, water channels, and granaries—that benefit society as a whole.

Granary

A specialized building designed for storing harvested grain and excess food supplies.