| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Neolithic | The succession of technological innovations and changes in human organization that led to the development of agriculture (8,500-3,500 BCE) |
| Nomads | Cattle and sheep-herding societies normally found on the fringes of civilized societies; commonly referred to as barbarian by civilized societies |
| Empire | Babylonian: United all of Mesopotamia and collapsed due to foreign invasion; Qin Dynasty: established at the end of the Warring States period following the decline of the Zhou dynasty; Guptas: succeeded the Kushans, built an empire that extended to all but the southern regions of the Indian sub-continent, less centralized than Mauryan Empire |
| Monotheism | The exclusive worship of a single god; indroduced by the Jews into Western civilization |
| Reincarnation | The successive attachment of the soul to some animate for according to merits earned in previous lives |
| Social Hierarchy | Most people traveled in small bands, and authority was based on family relationships. Men took leadership roles, but women were highly valued for their gathering skills. Labor was generally divided based on gender, with men as hunters and women as gatherers. However, status differences between men and women were generally not wide, with relative gender equality apparently characterizing their group life |
| Afterlife | Archaeological evidence suggests that prehistoric people were guided by their beliefs in spirits and sacred places. Their cave drawings and traces of their cultural objects indicate that they believed in an afterlife, although they probably did not practice polytheism, or a belief in many gods. Instead, polydaemonism, or the belief in many spirits (not specific gods), probably describes their religion more accurately. Bushes, rocks, trees, plants, or streams could be inhabited by these spirits, who often appeared to communicate with humans |
| Autonomy | The condition of being autonomous; self-government, or the right of self-government; independence |
| Deity | A god or goddess; divine character or nature, esp. that of the Supreme Being; divinity; of Buddhist and Hindhu religions |
| Caste System | A social structure in which classes are determined by heredity; originated in India-separating lower from higher class citizens |
| Filial | Of, pertaining to, or befitting a son or daughter; took place in China |
| Pastoral | This alternative to sedentary agriculture is characterized by following the herds, just as the earlier hunters and gatherers did. However, the herds were domesticated, and consisted of sheep, goats, cows, reindeer, camels, and/or horses. Nomadism, or the practice of moving frequently from one place to the other, was dictated by the need for pasture for the animals. This life style developed across the grassy plains of central Eurasia and nearby desert areas of the Arabian peninsula and the Sudan |
| Bureaucracy | Egypt: extensive bureaucracy; pharaoh's power channeled through regional governors; some social mobility through the bureaucracy |
| Citizens | Rome: The term "civilization" is derived from Latin, the language of the ancient Roman Empire. The Latin word civilis means "of the citizens," and the Romans used it to distinguish between themselves and the "inferior" people who lived on the fringes of their empire. However, the distinctions that the word implies began long before the time of the Romans. The process of civilization, or the development of the characteristics listed above, indisputably occurred in several parts of the world before 1500 BCE, and the feelings of superiority that urban folks displayed probably began just as early. |
| Conversion | Jewish religion greatly influenced the people that they contacted, although it did not actively encourage conversion of non-Jews; Christianity's broad appeal of the masses, as well as deliberate conversion efforts by its early apostles, meant that the religion grew steadily and eventually became the religion with the most followers in the modern world |
| Domesticated Animals and Plants | Herds were domesticated, and consisted of sheep, goats, cows, reindeer, camels, and/or horses; By about 5000 BCE agriculture had become well established in several areas. In southwest Asia, wheat and barley were raised, and sheep and goats were domesticated. In Southeast Asia, yams, peas, and early forms office were grown, and pigs, oxen, and chickens were kept. In the Americas, corn (maize), squash, and beans were staples of the diet, and in South America, potatoes were also grown. Domesticated animals were far less important in the Americas than they were elsewhere, but South Americans did domesticate llamas and alpacas. |
| Monasticism | of, pertaining to, or characteristic of monks or nuns, their manner of life, or their religious obligations; Buddhist and Jain |
| Role of Nomads in Trade | The life style of nomads by necessity means that they do not settle into villages, and therefore do not form the basis for the later development of cities. Settled agriculturalists generally saw them as "barbarians," an inferior lot that needed to be kept out of their villages. However, despite this designation, nomadic groups, especially when they have embarked on major migrations, have had a significant impact on the course of world history. Do not make the mistake of discounting them, because nomads have often sparked major changes that have greatly affected and sometimes dominated settled communities. |
| Kinship Groups | Early agricultural and technological development (about 8000 BCE to 3500 BCE) - Small groups of settlers grew into kinship-based villages that practiced both crop cultivation and domestication of animals. Tools and inventions helped villages to stabilize and eventually grow. |
| Sedentary | Sedentary agricultural communities were usually the forerunners to the development of the earliest river valley civilizations. However, the shift away from hunting and gathering societies took many other forms |
| Social Inequality/Slavery | In all river valley civilizations, gender inequality grew, and all practiced some form of slavery. Slaves were often captives in war or hereditary, and they were used for household work, public building projects, and agricultural production |
| Priests | Egypt: Priests have high status (only ones who understand the complex hieroglyphic written language) Indus Valley: Priests have highest status, based on position as intermediaries between gods and people Meso and South America: priests have highest status; most people were farmers |
| Hunting and Gathering Societies | Composed of small groups of people who traveled from point to point as the climate and availability of plants and animals dictated |
| Pilgrims | As part of the Islam faith- every Islamic person must have a pilgramage to the Ka'ba once in their life-time |
| Pagan | An irreligious or hedonistic person; a person who is not a Christian, Jew, or Muslim |
| Nun | a woman member of a religious order, esp. one bound by vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience |
| Patriarchy | A form of social organization in which the father is the supreme authority in the family, clan, or tribe and descent is reckoned in the male line, with the children belonging to the father's clan or tribe. |
| Elites | a group of persons exercising the major share of authority or influence within a larger group |
| Feudal | the political, military, and social system in the Middle Ages, based on the holding of lands in fief or fee and on the resulting relations between lord and vassal |
| Ideology | the body of doctrine, myth, belief, etc., that guides an individual, social movement, institution, class, or large group |
| Imperial | the policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries, or of acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies |
| Missionaries | a person sent by a church into an area to carry on evangelism or other activities, as educational or hospital work |
| Nobility | the noble class or the body of nobles in a country |
| Pantheon | A circular temple in Rome, completed in 27 B.C. and dedicated to all the gods |
| Patriarchy | a form of social organization in which the father is the supreme authority in the family, clan, or tribe and descent is reckoned in the male line, with the children belonging to the father's clan or tribe (China) |
| Sacred Texts | those of the Religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam |
| Tax Revenue | government income due to taxation |
| The State | any of the bodies politic which together make up a federal union |
| Trade Goods | products such as animals and crops were traded between civilizations |
| Urban | characteristic of or accustomed to cities; citified |
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