| A | B |
|---|
| republic | thing of the people or government of the people |
| patrician | members of the landholding upper class |
| consul | elected officials that supervised the business of government and command of armies. The consuls came from the patrician class |
| plebian | the farmers, merchants, artisans and traders or the common people who made up the bulk of the population |
| tribune | elected officials that protected the interests of the plebians |
| veto | to block a law |
| prehistory | refers to the long period of time before people invented systems of writing |
| archaeologist | scientists who find and analyze the physical remains left by early people. |
| Artifact | objects made by human beings such as tools, weapons, pottery, clothing, etc. |
| Technology | the skills and tools people use to meet their basic needs |
| Geography | the study of people, their environment and their |
| Nomad | people that move from place to place |
| Glaciers | sheets of ice |
| Bureaucracy | a system of managing government through departments ran by appointed officials |
| Polytheistic | people that believe in many gods |
| Artisan | skilled craft workers |
| Pictogram | simple drawings that represents words |
| Scribe | specially trained people that can read, write and keep records |
| city-state | - a political unit that included a city and its surrounding lands and villages |
| empire | a group of states or territories controlled by one ruler |
| Silt | rich soil for farming |
| Dynasty | a ruling family |
| Pharaohs | Egyptian rulers |
| Mummification | preservation of the dead |
| Vizier | chief minister |
| Acropolis | high city |
| Monarchy | government where a king or queen exercises central power |
| Aristocracy | rule by a landholding elite |
| Polis | city-state in Ancient Greece |
| Rhetoric | the art of skillful speaking |
| Democracy | government by the people |
| Legislature | law-making body |
| Tyrants | people who gained power by force |
| Oligarchy | a government where the power belongs to a few powerful elite, usually from the business class |
| loess | fine windblown yellow soil |
| Ideograph | signs that expressed thought or ideas |
| Clan | groups of families who claimed a common ancestor – in other words they were related |
| Monopoly | the entire control of a business or product by one person or group. |
| aqueduct | bridge-like stone structures that brought water from the hills to the cities |
| Calligraphy | fine handwriting |
| Feudalism | a system of government in which local lords governed their own land but owed military service and other support to the king |
| Filial piety | respect for one’s parents |
| Alchemy | trying to transform ordinary metals into gold |
| Hieroglyphics | a form of picture writing developed by the Egyptians |
| Ziggurats | pyramid-temples that soared towards the heavens |
| Hierarchy | a system of ranks |
| Cuneiform | the earliest known form of writing invented by the Sumerians |
| Civil law | laws that dealt with private rights and matters like business contracts, taxes, marriage, divorce, etc. |
| Barter economy | exchanging one set of goods or services for another. |
| Colony | is a territory settled and ruled by people from a distant land. |
| Monotheistic | a belief in one God |
| Ethics | moral standards of behavior |
| Diaspora | scattering of people |
| Subcontinent | is a large land mass that juts out from a continent |
| Monsoon | a seasonal wind that brings hot air or rain in South Asia |
| Caste | social groups that people are born into and from which they can not change |
| Brahman | a single spiritual power that resided in all things |
| atman | an essential self , really just another name for Brahman |
| Reincarnation | rebirth of the soul in another bodily form |
| Ahimsa | nonviolence ( a key moral priniciple of Hinduism) |
| Nirvana | union with the universe and release from the cycle of rebirth . Buddhists believe this is the final goal. |
| Karma | refers to all the actions of a person’s life that affect his or her fate in the next life |
| Stupa | a large dome-shaped shrine that housed the sacred remains of the Buddha or other holy people. |
| Patriarchal | means that the father or the oldest male runs the household |
| Bishop | a Church official who was responsible for all Christians in an area |
| Pope | head of the Roman Catholic Church |
| Heresy | a belief that contradicts the churches teachings |
| Mercenary | foreign soldiers serving for pay |
| Martyr | people who suffer or die for their beliefs |
| Sect | a small group |
