| A | B |
|---|
| prehistoric | the long period of time before the invention of systems of writing |
| historian | one who studies how people lived in the past through the examination of artifacts |
| Neolithic | the new stone age; began with the advent of farming; about 12,000 years ago |
| polytheism | the belief in many gods |
| phonetic | a type of alphavet consisting of symbols that represent sounds |
| creationism | theory that the univers and everthing in it was created by god(s) |
| hominid | any of the modern or extinct bepedal primates, including all species of the genera Homo |
| archeology | study of the ways of life of earlier peoples by examining physical remains |
| geography | study of people, their environments and resources available to them |
| Paleolithic | the old stone age; began with hominid creation of tools about 12,000 years ago |
| monotheism | the belief in one god |
| scribe | a professional copyist trained in the skills of reading and writing, especially before the age of printing |
| cultural diffusion | the spread of ideas, customs, and technologies from one group of people to another |
| Homo sapiens | species of primates to which modern humans belong |
| artifacts | objects made by peole, especially from an earlier time |
| nomads | people who have no permanent home, and move regularly in search of food and/or pasture land |
| domesticate | to tame or train, especially an animal |
| artisan | a skilled craftsman or worker |
| city-state | a political unit that includes an urban center and its surrounding lands and villages |
| civilization | an advanced state of human society in which specific characteristics exist (writing, cities, public works, art, architecture) |
| plate tectonics | geologic theory describing the movement of the plates that compose the earth's surface |
| technology | the skills and tools people use to meet their basic needs |
| glaciers | sheets of ice that have spread across much of the earth periodically throughtout its history |
| bureaucracy | a system of managing government through departments run by appointed officials |
| pictographic | type of alphabet consisting of symbols that represent things |
| empire | a group of city-states or territories controlled by one person or government |
| evolution | theory that existing organisms developed from earlier forms by process of natural selection |
