English Vocabulary in Use - 39 History: since the dawn of civilisation

archeologists

person who studies the material evidence of past societies

empires

group of countries ruled by a single person

kingdoms

individual countries ruled by a king or queen

dynasties

different rulers who are all from the same family, or a period of time that a country is controlled by them

dawn

beginning

reigns

period thta a king, queen or emperor rules

heirs

person who is legally entitled to continue the work of someone important who has died or who has the same position as they had

successors

person who takes over from another person

coronations

event when a king or queen receices his/her crown

conquests

when someone or an army defeats and takes over another country

manuscripts

texts written by hand

peasants

person who works on the land and earns a little, usually having a low social status

labourers

person who does unskilled manual work

migrations

moving from one place to another in large numbers

shreds

very small amounts

Bronze Age

period when the metals copper and tin began to be used to make weapons, tools, etc.

medieval

of or from the European Middle Ages, i.e. 1000–1500 AD

Renaissance

period of new growth of interest and activity in the arts especially in Europe in the 14th to 16th centuries

pre-colonial

period before Europeans arrived in large numbers and took power

infantry

soldiers on foot (uncountable)

cavalry

soldiers on horseback (uncountable)

(suit of) armour

metal protective clothing worn by soldiers

chariot

two-wheeled vehicle pulled by a horse and used in ancient times for racing and war

galleon

large sailing ship with three or four masts, used in the 15th to 18th centuries

warlord

a military leader who controls a country or, more oft en, an area within a country

slave

person legally owned by someone else and who has to work for them (noun = slavery)

ruler

leader of a country

explorer

someone who travels to places that no one is thought ever to have visited, in order to find out what is there

merchant

someone who buys and sells things in large amounts, especially by trading with other countries

monarch

neutral term for a king or queen (a country with a king or queen at its head can also be called a monarchy)

the nobility

collective term for people of the highest social rank in a society