| A | B |
|---|
| prehistory | the long period of time before people invented systems of writing |
| archaeologist | scientists who find and analyze the physical remains left by early people or animals |
| artifact | objects made by human beings |
| anthropology | the study of humans and the societies they create |
| technology | the skills and tools people use to meet their basic needs |
| historian | people who study how people lived in the past |
| geography | the study of people, their environments, and the resources available |
| latitude | measures distance north and south of the Equator |
| longitude | measures distance east and west of the Prime Meridian |
| nomad | people who move from place to place following game animals and ripening fruit |
| glacier | sheets of ice |
| bureaucracy | system of managing government through departments run by appointed officials |
| polytheistic | belief in many gods |
| artisan | skilled craftworker |
| pictogram | simple drawing to show words represented |
| scribe | people who learned to read and write |
| city-state | a political unit that includes a city and its surrounding lands and villages |
| empire | group of states or territories controlled by one ruler |
| steppe | sparse, dry grasslands |
| cultural diffusion | the spread of ideas, customs, and technologies from one people to another |
| silt | soil |
| cataract | waterfall |
| delta | triangular area of marshland formed by deposits of silt at the mouth of some rivers |
| dynasty | ruling family |
| pharaoh | Egyptian rulers |
| vizier | chief minister |
| mummification | the preservation of the dead |
| hieroglyphics | a form of picture writing used to keep important records |
| demotic | simpler form of writing than hieroglyphics for everyday use |
| papyrus | plant that grows along the banks of the Nile |
| ziggurat | pyramid-temple soaring to the heavans with shrines to the chief god or goddess of the city on top |
| hierarchy | system of ranks |
| cuneiform | earliest form of writing |
| civil law | law dealing with private rights and matters |
| satrap | a governer at the head of the Persian provinces |
| barter economy | exchanging one set of goods or services for another |
| colony | territory settled and ruled by people from a distant land |
| monotheistic | teaching a belief in one god |
| covenant | binding agreement |
| prophet | spiritual leader |
| ethics | moral standards of behavior |
| diaspora | scattering of people |
| strait | narrow water passage |
| polis | Greek version of the city-state |
| acropolis | high city |
| monarchy | a government in which a king or queen exercises central power |
| aristocracy | rule by landholding elite |
| oligarchy | power by a group of small, powerful elite persons usually from the business class |
| phalanx | massive formation of heavily armed foot soldiers |
| democracy | government by the people |
| tyrant | person who gained power by force |
| legislature | lawmaking body |
| direct democracy | large number of male citizens took part in the day-to-day affairs of the government |
| rhetoric | art of skillful speaking |
| tragedy | play that told stories of human suffering that usually ends in disaster |
| comedy | humorous play that mocks people or customs |
| republic | thing of the people |
| patrician | member of the landholding upper class |
| consul | elected by the senate and supervises the business of the government and command the armies |
| dictator | ruler who has complete control over a government |
| plebian | farmers, merchants, artisans, and traders whomade up the bulk of the population |
| tribune | officials elected by the plebians to protect their interests |
| veto | block |
| legion | basic unit of the military consisting of about 5,000 men |
| aqueduct | bridgelike stone structures that brought water from the hills into Roman cities |
| messiah | savior |
| sect | small group |
| martyr | person who suffers or dies for their beliefs |
| bishop | Church official responsible for all Christians in an area called a Diocese |
| pope | head of the Roman Catholic Church |
| heresy | belief said to be contrary to official Church teachings |
| mercenary | foreign soldier serving for pay |
| autocrat | sole ruler with complete authority |
| patriarch | highest Church official |
| icon | holy image |
| schism | permanent split |
| boyar | great landowning noble |
| czar | Russian word for Caesar |
