western civ unit 1 Flashcards
Artifact
Human-made object, like a tool, weapon, jewelry, etc.
Culture
people’s unique way of life, as shown by its tools, customs, arts, and ideas.
Hominid
A member of a biological group including human beings and related species that walk upright.
Paleolithic Age
a prehistoric period that lasted from about 2,500,000 to 8000 B.C., during which people made use of crude stone tools and weapons. It is also called the Old Stone Age.
Neolithic Age
a prehistoric period that began about 8000 B.C., during which people learned to polish stone tools, make pottery, grow crops, and raise animals. Also called the New Stone Age.
Technology
the ways in which people apply knowledge, tools, and inventions to meet their needs.
Homo sapiens
the biological species to which modern human beings belong.
Define Western Civilization
often referred to as “the West” or “western culture”, is a term used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, belief systems, political systems and specific artifacts and technologies that have some origin or association with
Nomad
a member of a group that has no permanent home, wandering from place to place in search of food and water.
Hunter-gatherer
a member of a nomadic group whose food supply depends on hunting animals and collecting plant foods.
Neolithic Revolution
the major change in human life caused by the beginnings of farming- that is, by peoples shift from food gathering to food producing .
Slash-and-burn-farming
a farming method in which people clear fields by cutting and burning trees and grasses, the ashes of which serve to fertilize the soil.
Domestication
the taming of animals for human use.
Fertile Crescent
an arc of rich farmland in Southwest Asia, between the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea.
Mesopotamia
A historical region of Western Asia.
