Archaeology & PreHistory
Vocabularyagriculture: the science, art, or practice of cultivating the soil, producing crops, and raising livestock and in varying degrees the preparation and marketing of the resulting products
ancient: relating to a remote period, to a time early in history, or to those living in such a period or time animism: The belief in the existence of individual spirits that inhabit natural objects and phenomena anthropologist: The scientific study of the origin, the behavior, and the physical, social, and cultural development of humans. arable: Land fit to be cultivated archaeologist: The systematic study of past human life and culture by the recovery and examination of remaining material evidence, such as graves, buildings, tools, and pottery architecture: The art and science of designing and erecting buildings artifact: An object produced or shaped by human craft, especially a tool, weapon, or ornament of archaeological or historical interest assimilate: To absorb (immigrants or a culturally distinct group) into the prevailing culture bronze age: a technological stage between the Stone and Iron Ages, beginning in the Middle East about 4500bc and lasting in Britain from about 2000 to 500 bc, during which weapons and tools were made of bronze and there was intensive trading carbon dating: The determination of the approximate age of an ancient object, such as an archaeological specimen, by measuring the amount of carbon 14 it contains. Also called carbon dating, carbon-14 dating citizen: A person owing loyalty to and entitled by birth or naturalization to the protection of a state or nation city-state: A sovereign state consisting of an independent city and its surrounding territory civilized: Having a highly developed society and culture culture: The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought diversity: The fact or quality of being diverse; difference domestication: To train or adapt (an animal or plant) to live in a human environment and be of use to humans egalitarian: Affirming, promoting, or characterized by belief in equal political, economic, social, and civil rights for all people ethnic group: people of the same race or nationality who share a distinctive culture excavate: To expose or uncover by or as if by digging fossil: A remnant or trace of an organism of a past geologic age, such as a skeleton or leaf imprint, embedded and preserved in the earth's crust glyph: A symbolic figure that is usually engraved or incised government: Exercise of authority in a political unit; rule homo sapiens: The modern species of humans, the only extant species of the primate family Hominidae hunter-gatherer: The modern species of humans, the only extant species of the primate family Hominidae ice age: A cold period marked by episodes of extensive glaciation alternating with episodes of relative warmth iron age: The period in cultural development succeeding the Bronze Age in Asia, Europe, and Africa, characterized by the introduction of iron metallurgy. In Europe it began around the eighth century b.c.e. irrigation: To supply (dry land) with water by means of ditches, pipes, or streams; water artificially job specialization: To focus on one job at a time; such as farming, hunting, pot making, etc
language: Communication of thoughts and feelings through a system of arbitrary signals, such as voice sounds, gestures, or written symbols life expectancy: The number of years that an individual is expected to live as determined by statistics linguistic: Of or relating to language or linguistics matriarch: A woman who rules a family, clan, or tribe migration: To move from one country or region and settle in another natural resources: naturally occurring materials such as coal, fertile land, etc., that can be used by man nomadic: A member of a group of people who have no fixed home and move according to the seasons from place to place in search of food, water, and grazing land oral language: communication by word of mouth patriarch: A man who rules a family, clan, or tribe petroglyph: a carving or inscription on a rock pictograph: an ancient or prehistoric drawing or painting on a rock wall polytheism: belief in or worship of more than one god religion: an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods river valley civilizations: any civilization that is found along a river. settlement: a place or region newly shrine: a place connected with a holy person or event where people go to worship social classes: people having the same social, economic, or educational status specialize: designed, trained, or fitted for one particular purpose or occupation stone age: the first known period of prehistoric human culture characterized by the use of stone tools Stonehenge: Monumental circular arrangement of standing stones built in prehistoric times and located near Salisbury, Wiltshire, Eng subsistence: the amount of food, money, etc., that is needed to stay alive surplus: an amount (such as an amount of money or food) that is more than the amount that is needed technology: a machine, piece of equipment, method, etc., that is created by technology timeline: a table listing important events for successive years within a particular historical period urbanization: the process by which towns and cities are formed and become larger as more and more people begin living and working in central areas |
Important LinksWorld History Stone Age
Stone Age Explorers Stone Age Animals Stone Age Artifacts Tools of the Stone Age Neanderthalensis Be an Archaeologist Becoming Human Mystery of the First Americans National Geographic: In Search of Human Origins Cave Paintings A CAVE IN AMERICA BBC ARTICLE NOVA Iceman Murder Mystery Videos |
