Name:____________________
Period:_________
Pre AP World History Glossary
Term
Definition
Anthropology
•
Anthropology – the study of culture
– Study artifacts, try to re-create an
understanding of people’s cultural behavior
including customs, family life, and social
relationships.
Archaeology
•
The study of the human past by examining artifacts
and remains
Artifact
•
Something made by people
Carbon Dating
•
A scientific test used to analyze the age of artifacts
and fossils
(based on the half-life decay of Carbon-14… ask a
science teacher)
Pretty accurate for the last 40,000 years or so
•
•
Culture
•
Culture is a system of beliefs, values, and assumptions
about life that guide behavior and are shared by a
group of people
Prehistory
•
the time in human history before the invention of
writing
Fossils
•
Solidified remains of living things
World History I
Unit
Page 1
Term
Excavation
Definition
Hoping to find ancient settlements, burial sites, tools, etc.
Paleolithic Era
–
–
–
Tools
Homo Sapiens
1
the Old Stone Age
Humans created the first tools made out of
stone
about 2.5 million years ago
Items made in order to make labor easier and more efficient
•
•
•
Smarter, larger-brained humans known
(Latin for “wise man”)
– Developed technology
• Clothing
• Shelter
• Art
Homo sapiens are modern humans
Technology
Items, tools, machines, and items made for specific purposes
Examples: arrowheads, atlatl, clothing, fire starters, shelters,
paints…
Migration
Movements of populations from place to place.
- Can be human or animals
- Example: human migration out of Africa approximately
100,000 years ago
Huntergatherers
People(s) that subsist primarily through hunting and gathering
food
Clan
A group of people (approximately 60 to 100 people) often
extended families that live/work/travel together
World History I
Unit
Page 2
Nomads
People who move consistently and periodically following:
- Herds of animals
- Seasonal foods/edible plants
- Water
- Seasons
Neolithic Era
Neolithic = New Stone Age
Neolithic
Revolution
Also known as the “Agricultural Revolution”
Agriculture
Farming
Domestication
tame (an animal) and keep it as a pet or for farm produce
Village
A group of houses and associated buildings, larger than a
hamlet and smaller than a town, situated in a rural area.
Specialized
Workers
Artisans
World History I
Page 3