the period of time before writing was invented      

a person who studies how people lived in the past

an object made by human beings

the study of the origins and development of people and their societies

the way of life of a society, which is handed down from one generation to the next by learning and experience

the era of prehistory that lasted from at least 2 million B.C. to about 9000 B.C.; also called the Old Stone Age.

the belief that spirits and forces live within animals, objects, or dreams

the period of time during which the introduction of agriculture led people to transition from nomadic to settled life.

an amount that is more than needed; excess

a complex, highly organized social order

believing in many gods

a simple drawing that looks like the object it represents

- the spread of ideas, customs, and technologies from one people to another

a political unit that includes a city and its surrounding lands and villages

- region of the Middle East in which civilizations first arose

region within the Fertile Crescent that lies between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers

title of the rulers of ancient Egypt

system of writing in which pictures called hieroglyphs represent objects, concepts, or sounds

stone monument that includes the same passage carved in hieroglyphics, demotic script, and Greek that was used to decipher the meanings of many hieroglyphs

in the belief system established in Aryan India, the single spiritual power that resides in all things

in ancient India, the elected warrior chief of an Aryan tribe

in Hindu belief, the ultimate goal of existence, which is to achieve union with brahman.

- in Hindu belief, all the action that affect a person’s fate in the next life

in Hindu belief, a person’s religious and moral duties

in Buddhist belief, union with the universe and release from the cycle of rebirth

as taught by the Buddha, the path one must follow to achieve nirvana

as taught by the Buddha, the four basic beliefs that form the foundation of Buddhism

in traditional Indian society, an unchangeable social group into which a person is born

a reformer whose teachings were spread across Asia to become the core beliefs of one of the world’s most influential religions, Buddhism.

in some societies, payment a bride’s family makes to the bridegroom and his family; payment a woman brings into a marriage

loosely organized system of government in which local lords governed their own lands but owed military service and other support to a greater lord

- in Greek epic poems and myths, a ten-year war between Mycenae and the city of Troy in Asia Minor.

a poet who lived around 750 B.C. He is known to be blind and to have written the Iliad and the Odyssey.

city state in ancient Greece

city state in ancient Greece

government in which the people hold ruling power

city-state in ancient Greece

city-state in ancient Greece

system of government in which citizens participate directly in the day-to-day affairs of government rather than through elected representatives

legal group of people sworn to make a decision in a legal case

practice used in ancient Greece to banish or send away a public figure who threatened democracy

someone who seeks to understand and explain life; a person who studies philosophy

architect during the new era that led battles, founded new cities named after him, and encouraged the blending of eastern and western cultures. Pg. 137

system of government in which officials are chosen by the people

in ancient Rome, member of the lower class, including farmers, merchants, artisans, and traders

block a government action

domination by one country of the political, economic, or cultural life of another country or religion

population count

person who suffers of dies for his or her beliefs

savior sent by God

leader or teacher of a new faith or movement

the body of people who conduct Christian services

head of the Roman Catholic Church; in ancient Rome, bishop of Rome who claimed authority over all other bishops

religious belief that is contrary to the official teachings of a church

economic cycle that involves a rapid rise in prices linked to a sharp increase in the amount of money available

soldier serving in a foreign army for pay

the capital of the eastern Roman empire; capital of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires, now called Istanbul

class in ancient Rome, member of the landholding upper

referring to the Middle Ages in Europe or the period of history between ancient and modern times

loosely organized system of government in which local lords governed their own lands but owed military service and other support to a greater lord

in medieval Europe, a lord who was granted land in exchange for service and loyalty to a greater lord

exchange of pledges between lords and vassals

in medieval Europe, an estate granted by a lord to a vassal in exchange for service and loyalty

code of conduct for knights during the Middle Ages

sacred ritual of the Roman Catholic Church

rules drawn up in 530 by Benedict, a monk, regulating monastic life. The Rule emphasizes obedience, poverty, and chastity and divides the day into period of worship, work, and study.

the claim of medieval popes that they had authority over all secular rulers

body of laws of a church

exclusion from the Roman Catholic Church as a penalty for refusing to obey Church law

in the Roman Catholic Church, excommunication of an entire region, town, or kingdom

the Great Charter approved by King John of England in 1215; it limited royal power and established certain rights of English freemen.

the requirement that the government act fairly and in accordance with established rules in all that it does

principal that a person cannot be held in prison without first being charged with a specific crime

a series of wars from the 1000s through 1200s in which European Christians tried to win control of the Holy Land from Muslims

Jerusalem and other places in Palestine where Christians believe Jesus had lived and preached

everyday language of ordinary people

an epidemic of the bubonic plague that ravaged Europe in the 1300s

outbreak of a rapidly spreading disease

economic cycle that involves a rapid rise in prices linked to a sharp increase in the amount of money available

permanent division in a church; split

treaty that declared that the Church had the sole power to elect and invest bishops with spiritual authority