The Historian and Pre-History: Vocabulary Terms

Transcription

1 Calendars: Dating systems that measure time. Calendars differ and vary across cultures. B.C.: Before Christ measures the years before the birth of Jesus. A.D.: Anno Domini comes from latin, and means in the year of our Lord. This marks the years after the birth of Jesus. Archaeology: The scientific study of artifacts and evidence from early human life. Evidence: Sources, accounts and proof of historical events and happenings. History: The study of the human past. Periods, Eras: Historians divide history into blocks of time known as periods or eras. The Western Calendar, which begins in January and ends in December. Calendars provide an important way for members of society to keep track of time and historical events.

2 Decades: A ten year period of time. Timeline: A diagram that shows the order of events within a period of time. Chronology: The order of dates in which events happened. c. : circa which translates to about. Used to give a general description of a time period. Primary Source: Firsthand pieces of evidence from people who saw or experienced an event. Includes letters, diaries and official records. Secondary Source: Created after the events by people who played no part in them. They are partially based on primary sources. The include biographies, encyclopedias and textbooks.

3 Credible Source: A truthful source that a historian can count on to give factual evidence. Bias: A one-sided view or judgement about an event. Cause: The factors that make an event happen. Effect: the event that happens as the result of a cause. Geography: The study of the earth s land, water and animal life, and places and complex relationship between people and their environment. Human/Environment Interaction: The relationship between peoples and their environment, and how their actions affect the environment.

4 Historical Atlas: A collection of maps showing different parts of the world at different periods of history Historical Routes: Roads or courses over which people or goods have traveled all throughout history. Anthropologists: Scientists that focus on studying human society. They study how humans developed and how they related to one another. Artifacts: Weapons, tools and other things made by humans. Fossils: Traces of animals or plants that have been preserved in rock. Nomads: People who gathered place to place in bands of 30 or so members for safety and food gathering purposes.

5 Paleolithic: Means old stone in Greek. Paleolithic times began 2.5 million years ago and lasted until around 8000 B.C. Ice Ages: Long periods of extreme cold during the paleolithic Period. Thick sheets of ice covered parts of the earth from 100,000 B.C. until about 8000 B.C. Hunters and Gatherers: Early humans who spent most of their time searching for food that naturally occurred in the environment. Domestication: The process of taming animals and plants for human use.

6 Neolithic Revolution: Lasted from 8000 B.C. to about 4000 B.C. Farming replaced hunting as the main form of subsistence as people practiced domestication and formed villages. Many historians consider this great change to be a revolution. Villages: Small, permanent settlements where humans began growing crops. Jericho: One of the earliest known communities in the world. Located in the West Bank between what are now Israel and Jordan. The city dates back to around 8,000 B.C. Catal Huyuk: A well-known Neolithic community in present-day Turkey. Home to 6,000 people between 6700 B.C. and 5700 B.C. Made of simple mud houses.

7 Specialization: The development of different kinds of jobs. Since not everyone was needed for farming, some people had the time to develop other skills. Bronze: After 4,000 B.C. craftspeople in western asia mixed copper and tim to form bronze. Bronze was harder and longer lasting than copper.