8000 BCE-600 BCE Vocabulary Flashcards
Bureaucracy
A system of departments and agencies formed to carry out the work of a government. Often a highly respected position.
Agrarian Society
Sedentary agriculture, both crop production and animal breeding are the foundation of subsistence and/or surplus wealth.
City-State
A sovereign state consisting of an autonomous city with its dependencies.
Domestication
To convert (animals, plants, etc.) to domestic uses; tame.
Dynasty
A series of rulers from a single family.
Edict
A decree issued by a sovereign or other authority.
Eunuchs
Castrated males, originally in charge of protection of the ruler’s wives. Eventually had major roles in government, especially in China.
Forage
To wander in search of food.
Independent Invention
The creation of technology or culture without influence from outside groups.
Indigenous
Originating or occurring naturally in a particular place.
Matriarchal
Relating to a social system in which the mother is head of the family.
Matrilineal
Relating to a social system in which family descent and inheritance rights are traced through the mother.
Metallurgy
The technique or science of working or heating metals so as to give them certain desired shapes and properties.
Monarchy
A government in which a king or queen exercises central power that is passed on in a single family.
Monotheistic
Belief in a single God
Nomadic
Lifestyle where a group has no permanent home, wandering from place to place in search of food.
Pastoral
Lifestyle where a nomadic group herds domesticated animals.
Patriarchal
Relating to a social system in which the father is head of the family.
Patrilineal
Relating to a social system in which family descent and inheritance rights are traced through the father.
Polytheistic
Belief in many gods.
Slavery
The state of an individual held in servitude as the property, or chattel, of another individual, a household, or the state; the practice of owning slaves. The legal, economic, moral, and personal condition of slaves have varied widely in history from one society to another.
Theocracy
A government in which the ruler is viewed as a divine figure; a government controlled by religious leaders.
