| A | B |
|---|
| artifact | a human made object such as a tool, weapon, or jewelry |
| culture | people's unique way of life as shown by its tools, customs, art, and ideas |
| hominid | a member of a biological group including human beings and related species that walk upright |
| Paleolithic Age | a prehistoric period that last from about 2,500,000 BC to 8,000 BC during which people made use of crude stone tools and weapons; also called the Old Stone Age |
| Neolithic Age | a prehistoric period that began about 8,000 BC and in some areas ended as early as 3,000 BC during which people learned to polish stone, tools, make pottery, grow crops, and raise animals; also known as the New Stone Age |
| technology | the ways in which people apply knowledge, tools, and inventions, to meet their needs |
| Homosapiens | the biological species to which modern human beings belong |
| nomad | a member of a group that has no permanent home, wandering from place to place in search of food and water |
| hunter-gatherer | a member of a nomadic group whose food supply depends on hunting animals and collecting plant foods |
| Neolithic Revolution | the major change in human life caused by the beginnings of farming that is, by people's shift from food gathering to food producing |
| slash and burn farming | a farming method in which people clear fields by cutting and burning trees and grasses, the ashes of which serve to fertilize the soil |
| domestication | the taming of animals of animals for human use |
| civilization | a form of culture characterized by cities, specialized workers, complex instutions, record keeping and advanced technology |
| specialization | the development of skills in a particular kind of work such as trading or record keeping |
| artisan | a skilled worker, such as weaver, or a potter, who makes goods by hand |
| institution | a long lasting pattern of organization in a community |
| scribe | one of the professional record keepers in early civilization |
| cuneiform | a system of writing with wedge shaped symbols invented by the Sumerians around 3,000 BC |
| Bronze Age | a period in human history beginning around 3,000 BC in some areas during which people began using bronze rather than copper or stone, to fashion tools and weapons |
| barter | a form of trade in which people exchange good and services without the use of money |
| ziggurat | a tiered pyramid shaped structure that formed part of the Sumerian temple |
