World History Vocab

Key Terms to Memorize

History: Study of past events.
Fossils: Rocklike remains of biological organisms.
Archaeology: Study of past societies through what people left behind.
Perspectives: Point of view from which a source creator describes events.
Nomad: A person constantly moving from one place to another.
Migration: Movement of people from one place to another.
Paleolithic: A period in history when the earliest tools were invented.
Chronology: An arrangement of events in the order they occurred.
Artifacts: Objects made by humans.
Timeline: A graphical representation of a period of time.
Sedentary: Tending to spend much time seated or inactive.
Agriculture: Raising crops for food or trade.
Neolithic: A time when people began domesticating animals and cultivating plants.

Key Terms to Memorize (Sumerian Civilization)

Sumer: A collection of city-states in southern Mesopotamia.
City-state: A city and its surroundings governed by a king.
Theocracy: A government led by a divine authority.
Empire: A large political unit under one leader controlling many people or territories.
Legacy: The impact left on the future.

Key Terms to Memorize (Ancient Egypt)

Pharaoh: An ancient Egyptian ruler.
Mummification: The process of preserving a body.
Pyramids: Massive tomb structures for pharaohs.
Scribes: Educated individuals who maintained records.
Civilization: Societies with governments, cultures, languages, and religions.

Key Terms to Memorize (Judaism)

Judaism: The main religion of Ancient Israel.
Diaspora: The forced spreading out of a people or ethnic group.
Kosher: Food prepared according to Jewish dietary laws.
Torah: The holy book of Judaism.
Synagogue: A Jewish place of worship.

Key Terms to Memorize (Geography)

Ocean: A large body of saltwater.
Landform: A natural feature of Earth’s surface.
Plateau: An elevated, flat area of land.
Mountain: Land with steep slopes reaching a summit.
Island: A piece of land surrounded by water.
Coast: Land at the edge of an ocean.
Region: An area defined by shared traits.