Chapter 2 Vocab Flashcards
an advanced state of human society, in which a high level of government, social structure, religion, technology, and agriculture practices have been reached
Civilizations
a cultural region centered around southern Mexico in which a number of early American civilizations developed
Mesoamerica
the belief in or worship of more than one god
Polytheistic
a self-governing region consisting of a city and its surrounding territory
City-state
the science that deals with the material universe beyond the earth’s atmosphere
Astronomy
designating or pertaining to a pictographic script, particularly that of the ancient Egyptians, in which many of the symbols are conventionalized, recognizable pictures of the things represented
Hieroglyphics
a table or register with the days of each month and week in a year
Calendars
a group of countries or region controlled by one ruler
Empire
a land area having a relatively level surface considerably raised above adjoining land on at least one side, and often cut by deep canyons
Plateaus
to preserve a body by embalming it and wrapping it in cloth
Mummified
the male sovereign or supreme ruler of an empire
Emperor
the only Inca
Sapa Inca
usually had more than one family in it, but they lived and worked together
Ayllus
a flat, level area carved into a slope
Terraces
farming on mountains carved into terraces
Terrace Farming
a human-made channel across land that move its water source to where it’s needed for growing crops
Irrigation canals
a vehicle consisting of a chair or bed carried on two poles by people or animals
litter
a channel or canal made for moving water across land
aqueduct
a great city built on an island in the lake
Tenochtitlan
was the 9th and last true emperor of the ancient Aztec civilization
Montezuma II
floating gardens
chinampas
clay bricks
adobe
a raised roadway across a swamp or body of water
causeway
a widespread outbreak of a contagious disease
epidemic
planting one crop, harvesting it, and then immediately plant another one
multiple-cropping
planting multiple types of crops
intercropping
a fence, commonly made of wooden poles standing on the end, that surround s a settlement to protect it from attack
palisade
a wide, water-filled ditch built to surround a settlement or building to protect it from attack
moat
a high cliff, often overlooking a river
bluff
large flat-topped mounds
earthen mounds
a system or organization in which people or groups are ranked according to status or authority
hierarchy
an offering or payment to a leader or ruler
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