World History Chapter 1

Civilization

1. A complex, highly organized social order. 2. The main feature of civilization was the rise of cities. The world's first civilizations arose independently in a number of river valleys. 3. This term is relevant to this unit because it shows that humanity was becoming more complex about their style of life.

Olduvai Gorge

1. A deep canyon in Tanzania where the Leakey's searched for clues to the human past. 2. Geologists have dated the bottom layers of Olduvai Gorge to an age of 1.7 to 2.1 million years. 3. This term is relevant to this unit because Olduvai Gorge was where stone tools were found that had been developed by the people of the time

Empire

1. A group of states or territories controlled by one ruler. 2. Rivals leaders often battled for power. Empires helped end war between neighboring communities and created common bonds among people. 3. This term is relevant to this unit because it shows the expanding growth of communities at the time.

City-State

1. A political unit that includes a city and its surrounding lands and villages. 2. As ancient rulers gained more power, they conquered territories beyond the boundaries of their cities, which led to city-states being formed. In some places, a significant portion of each harvest went to support the government and temples. 3. This term is relevant to this unit because when rulers would try to gain more territory, warfare began.

Nomad

1. People who move place to place to find food. 2. Some of the early modern humans were nomads and usually about 20-30 lived together in groups. 3. This term is relevant to this unit because this was the first humans' lifestyle.

Steppe

1. Sparse, dry, treeless grassland. 2. On steppes, nomadic herders tended cattle, sheep, goats, or other animals. Because the lands didn't have abundant water or grass, these nomads had to keep moving to find new pasture. 3. This term is relevant to this unit because it gives us an idea of what the life away from the cities was like at this time.

Animism

1. The belief that spirits and forces live within animals, objects, or dreams. 2. Cave or rock paintings vividly portray animals such as deer, horses, buffalo, and even people. Some scholars think cave paintings were created as part of animist religious rituals. 3. This term is relevant to this unit because it was the beginning of beliefs by the early people and one of anthropology's first concepts.

Paleolithic

1. The era of prehistory that lasted from at least 2 million B.C. to about 9000 B.C.; also called the Old Stone Age. 2. The people during this time were called nomads and survived by hunting and by gathering food. 3. This term is relevant to this unit because it shows us the ancient ways our species used to interact with their surroundings.

Prehistory

1. The period of time before writing was invented. 2. During prehistory, there was no recorded history because the humans thousands of years ago did not know how to write. 3. This term is relevant to this unit because it helps us understand how difficult it was to discover things that occurred during prehistory when there were no writings from that time.

Technology

1. The skills and tools people use to meet their basic needs and wants. 2. The Leakey's found ancient tools chipped from stone. Although they looked simple, with jagged edges and rough surfaces, the tools showed that whoever had made them had learned to develop technologies to help them survive. 3. This term is relevant to this unit because the development of technology helped the people of the past make their lives easier.

Cultural Diffusion

1. The spread of ideas, customs, and technologies from one person to another. 2. Cultural diffusion occurred through migration, trade, and warfare. 3. This term is relevant to this unit because it was a major source of change for people living in ancient times.

Archaeology

1. The study of past people and cultures through their material remains. 2. Archaeology is a branch within the field of anthropology. Archaeologists find and analyze artifacts to learn about life during prehistory as well as other historical times. 3. This term is relevant to this unit because even though the story of the past will never be fully known, archaeology can help people to know some parts of life of past people.

Anthropology

1. The study of the origins and development of people and their societies. 2. Modern anthropologists specialize in certain areas of their field. Anthropology was being studied by scholars around 150 years ago when they began studying prehistory. 3. This term is relevant to this unit because it enabled scholars to investigate prehistory.

Neolithic Agricultural Revolution

1. The time during which the introduction of agriculture led people to transition from nomadic to settled life. 2. Because the nomadic people learned to farm and began producing their own food, they no longer had to roam in search of animals, plants, or fish. 3. This term is relevant to this unit because this marks the time our species transitioned into the style of living we do today.

Domesticate

1. To tame animals and adapt crops so they are best suited to use by humans. 2. Animal domestication may have begun with people deciding to round up the animals they usually hunted. Plant domestication may have begun with food gatherers realizing that seeds scattered on the ground would produce new plants the next year. 3. This term is relevant to this unit because the early farmers were the first ones to domesticate.