Terms : Hide Images
| 10749554912 | Mungo Man | Remains of a male found near Mungo Lake in the southeastern Australian state of New South Wales, dated to about 40,000 B.C.E. | 0 | |
| 10749554913 | Ocher | Reddish brown iron based pigment used to color soil and decorate cave walls | 1 | |
| 10749554914 | Homo sapiens sapiens | Biological term for modern human beings belonging to the genus Homo, species sapiens, and subspecies sapiens | 2 | |
| 10749554915 | Hominins | Term referring to all humans and their ancestors but not to chimpanzees, gorillas, or orangutans | 3 | |
| 10749554916 | evolution | model proposed by Charles Darwin to explain the development of new species through genetic mutation and natural selection | 4 | |
| 10749554917 | mitochondrial Eve | first female ancestor shared by all living humans who was identified by DNA analysis | 5 | |
| 10749554918 | religion | belief system that holds that divine powers control the environment and peoples' futures | 6 | |
| 10749554919 | Neanderthals | Group of premodern humans who lived between 100,000 and 25,000 b.c.e. in western Asia and Europe, eventually replaced by Homo sapiens sapiens | 7 | |
| 10749554920 | Beringia | land mass now submerged below water that connected the tips of Siberia with the Northeast corner of Alaska | 8 | |
| 10749554921 | Monte Verde, Chile | Earliest site in the Americas, where evidence of human occupation has been found dating to 12,000 B.C.E. | 9 | |
| 10749554922 | Stratigraphy | Archaeological principle that, at an undisturbed site, material from upper layers must be more recent than that from lower layers | 10 | |
| 10749554923 | Carbon 14 | Isotope of carbon whose presence in organic material can be used to determine the approximate age of archaeological samples | 11 | |
| 10749554924 | Clovis technological complex | The characteristic stone spear points that were in use around 11,000 b.c.e. across much of modern-day America | 12 | |
| 10749554925 | agriculture | planting of seeds and harvesting of crops using domesticated animals | 13 | |
| 10749554926 | Neolithic | "New Stone Age", societies that used stone tools and practiced agriculture | 14 | |
| 10749554927 | Catalhoyuk | The world's largest early settlement with a population of 5000 in 6000 BCE located in modern Turkey | 15 | |
| 10749554928 | Mesopotamia | Greek for "between the rivers", region between the Tigris and Euphrates in today's Iraq and Eastern Syria | 16 | |
| 10749554929 | Gilgamesh | historic king of Uruk who ruled between 2700-2500 BCE, also the name of an epic about him | 17 | |
| 10749554930 | complex society | society characterized by a large urban center with specialized labor and social stratification as well as the belief that rulers and deities were entitled to surpluses society produced | 18 | |
| 10749554931 | city-state | city whose ruler governs both the city center and surrounding countryside | 19 | |
| 10749554932 | bronze | an alloy of copper and tin used to make the earliest metal tools | 20 | |
| 10749554933 | wheel | important innovation in transport dated to 3500 BCE | 21 | |
| 10749554934 | Sumer | geographical term from Akkadian meaning the ancient region of southern Mesopotamia | 22 | |
| 10749554935 | cuneiform | meaning "wedge shaped" for the writing system of Sumer in its late stages when the script became completely phoenetic | 23 | |
| 10749554936 | Sargon of Akkad | the first ruler to unify Mesopotamia, changed language of administration to Akkadian | 24 | |
| 10749554937 | empire | a large territory in which one people rule over other subject peoples with different languages and religious traditions | 25 | |
| 10749554938 | pharoah | god king who unified kingdom of Egypt from at least 3100 BCE | 26 | |
| 10749554939 | Nubia | region south of the First Cataract on the Nile, in modern day Egypt and Sudan, important trade partner of Egypt | 27 | |
| 10749554940 | hieroglyphs | writing system of ancient Egypt consisting of different symbols, some pictoral and some phonetic, used on official inscriptions | 28 | |
| 10749554941 | papyrus | convenient but perishable writing material made from a reed that grew naturally along the Nile | 29 | |
| 10749554942 | Hittites | people based in Anatolia, Turkey, and Syria, spoke the Indo-European language of Hittite and learned to work iron around 2000 BCE, reached its greatest extent between 1322 and 1220 BCE and ended around 1200 BCE | 30 | |
| 10749554943 | iron | metal used to make tools and weapons, iron smelting was an important technology because iron implements were much more durable than those made of bronze | 31 | |
| 10749554944 | monotheism | belief in one god | 32 | |
| 10749554945 | Jew | term derived from Hebrew that originally meant a member of the nation of Judah and later came to refer to all the Hebrews | 33 | |
| 10749554946 | Ashoka | third king of the Mauryan dynasty, the first Indian ruler to support Buddhism | 34 | |
| 10749554947 | dliarma | Sanskrit term meaning correct conduct according to law/custom, Buddhists used this concept to refer to the teachings of Buddha | 35 | |
| 10749554948 | monsoon | referring to both seasonal winds in south Asia blowing northeast in spring and early summer and southwest in fall and winter and to the heavy seasonal rains they bring | 36 | |
| 10749554949 | Indus River Valley | site of the earliest complex society on the Indian subcontinent(2600-1700 BCE), characterized by brick cities, drainage systems, open plazas, and broad avenues | 37 | |
| 10749554950 | Sanskrit | a language such as Latin, Greek, and English, belonging to the Indo-European language family and spoken by Indo-Aryan migrants to north India around 1500-1000 BCE | 38 | |
| 10749554951 | Rig Veda | collection of 1028 Sanskrit hymns, composed around 1500-1000 BCE but written down around 1000 CE. One of most revealing sources about Indo-Europeans who settled in northern India | 39 | |
| 10749554952 | Vedic religion | religious belief system of Indo-European migrants in northern India, involved animal sacrifice and elaborate ceremonies to ensure that all transitions in the natural world-day to night, or one season to the next-proceeded smoothly | 40 | |
| 10749554953 | nomads | people who migrate seasonally to find grass for their animals, don't usually farm, instead tending herds full time | 41 | |
| 10749554954 | varna | from Sanskrit word for color, four major social groups of ancient Indian society, ranked in order of purity(not wealth or power): Brahmin priests, warriors, farmers/merchants, dependent laborers | 42 | |
| 10749554955 | jati | sometimes translated as "sub-caste", for groups of 5000-15000 people in modern India. Many Indians marry someone from the same jati and share meals on equal footing only with people from the same jati | 43 | |
| 10749554956 | karma | the sum of one's deeds in this and all earlier existences that determines one's rebirth in the next life | 44 | |
| 10749554957 | Jainism | an Indian religion founded around the same time as Buddhism that emphasizes right faith, right healing, right knowledge, and right conduct, a key tenet is to not harm any living beings | 45 | |
| 10749554958 | Buddha | founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama(ca 600-400 BCE), meaning "the Enlightened one" | 46 | |
| 10749554959 | nirvana | Sanskrit word meaning "extinction", as when the candle goes out, in Buddhism: those who followed the Eightfold Path and understood the Four Noble Truths would gain true understanding | 47 | |
| 10749554960 | Mauryan Dynasty | (ca 320-185 BCE) dynasty that unified much of the Indian subcontinent, relying on trunk roads, it exercised more control in cities than the countryside | 48 | |
| 10749554961 | chakravartin | "Turner of the Wheel", Buddhist term for the ideal ruler who patronized Buddhism but never became a monk | 49 | |
| 10749554962 | ceremonial state | state whose ruler sponsored religious observances and construction of religious edifices in the hope that his subjects would willingly acknowledge him as ruler | 50 | |
| 10749554963 | Lay Buddhist | Buddhist devotee who observes five precepts: don't kill, steal, commit adultery, lie, drink, but continue living at home and doesn't join the Buddhist order | 51 | |
| 10749554964 | dhows | small sailboats used in Indian Ocean made from teak planks laid edge to edge, fastened with coconut fiber twine and caulked to prevent leaking | 52 | |
| 10749554965 | First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty | Founder of the Qin dynasty (221-207 B.C.E.) and the first ruler to unify ancient China. Eliminated regional differences by creating a single body of law and standardizing weights and measures. | 53 | |
| 10749554966 | Shang Dynasty | China's first historic dynasty. The earliest surviving records date to 1200 B.C.E., during the Shang. The Shang king ruled a small area in the vicinity of modern Anyang, in Henan province, and granted lands to allies in noble families. | 54 | |
| 10749554967 | oracle bones | The earliest surviving written records in China, scratched onto cattle shoulder blades and turtle shell bottoms, or plastrons, to record the diviners' interpretations of the future. | 55 | |
| 10749554968 | ancestor worship | The belief in China that dead ancestors could intercede in human affairs on behalf of the living. Marked by frequent rituals in which the living offered food and drink to the ancestors in the hope of receiving help. | 56 | |
| 10749554969 | Sima Qian | The author of Records of the Grand Historian, a history of China from ancient legendary times to the first century B.C.E. | 57 | |
| 10749554970 | Zhou dynasty | The successor dynasty to the Shang that gained the Mandate of Heaven and the right to rule, according to later Chinese historians. Although depicted by later generations as an ideal age, the Zhou witnessed considerable conflict. | 58 | |
| 10749554971 | mandate of heaven | The Chinese belief that Heaven, the generalized forces of the cosmos (not the abode of the dead), chose the rightful ruler. China's rulers believed that Heaven would send signs before withdrawing its mandate. | 59 | |
| 10749554972 | Confucius | (551-479 B.C.E.) A teacher who made his living by tutoring students. Known only through The Analects, the record of conversations with his students that they wrote down after his death. | 60 | |
| 10749554973 | Confucianism | The term for the main tenets of the thought of Confucius, which emphasized the role of ritual in bringing out people's inner humanity (a quality translated variously as "benevolence," "goodness," or "man at his best"). | 61 | |
| 10749554974 | Daoism | A Chinese belief system dating back to at least 300 B.C.E. that emphasized the "Way," a concept expressed in Chinese as "dao." The Way of the early Daoist teachers included meditation, breathing techniques, and special eating regimes. | 62 | |
| 10749554975 | Legalism | A school of thought, originating in the fourth century B.C.E. and associated with Qin dynasty rulers, that emphasized promotion for officials and soldiers alike on the basis of merit and job performance, not heredity. | 63 | |
| 10749554976 | Qin Dynasty | (221-207 B.C.E.) The first dynasty to rule over a unified China; heavily influenced by Legalist teachings that promoted soldiers and officials strictly on the basis of accomplishment, not birth. | 64 | |
| 10749554977 | Han dynasty | (206 B.C.E.-220 C.E.) The immediate successor to the Qin dynasty. Han rulers denounced Legalist governance but adopted much of the Qin blueprint for empire. Because of its long rule, the Han dynasty was a model for all subsequent dynasties. | 65 | |
| 10749554978 | Imperial Academy | Established in 124 B.C.E. by the Han emperor, Emperor Wu (r. 140-87 B.C.E.), to encourage the study of Confucian texts. | 66 | |
| 10749554979 | Ban Zhao | (45-120 C.E.) A historian and the author of Lessons for Women, a book that counseled women to serve men and advocated education for girls starting at the age of seven. | 67 | |
| 10749554980 | Xiongnu | Nomadic people north of China whose military strength derived from brilliant horsemanship. Defeated the Han dynasty in battle until 60 B.C.E., when their federation broke apart. | 68 | |
| 10749554981 | Mau Piailug | (1932-2010) Native of Satawal island in the Caroline islands who studied traditional Polynesian navigation as a child and successfully guided a reconstructed double-hulled canoe from Hawai'i to Tahiti in 1976. | 69 | |
| 10749554982 | Mesoamerica | The region that includes the southern two-thirds of modern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. | 70 | |
| 10749554983 | Olmec | A complex society (1200-400 B.C.E.) that arose on the Gulf of Mexico coast from modern-day Veracruz to Tabasco. Known particularly for the massive colossal heads hewn from basalt. | 71 | |
| 10749554984 | long count | A calendar that ran cumulatively, starting from a day equivalent to August 11, 3114 B.C.E., and continuing to the present. Came into use in the fifth and fourth centuries B.C.E., when inscriptions of bars and dots showed different calendar units. | 72 | |
| 10749554985 | Teotihuacan | The largest city in the Americas before 1500, covering 8 square miles (20 sq km), located some 30 miles (50 km) northeast of modern-day Mexico City. Was occupied from around 200 B.C.E. to 650 C.E. and had an estimated population at its height of 40,000-200,000. | 73 | |
| 10749554986 | Maya | Indigenous people living in modern-day Yucátan, Belize, Honduras, and Guatemala. Their complex society reached its height during the classic period, when they used a fully developed written language. | 74 | |
| 10749554987 | Copan | A typical Maya city-state. At its peak in the eighth century, Copán had a population of 18,000-20,000 divided into sharply demarcated groups: the ruling family, the nobility, ordinary people, and slaves. | 75 | |
| 10749554988 | obsidian | A naturally occurring volcanic glass used by different peoples in the Americas to make fine art objects, dart tips, and knife blades sharper than modern scalpels. The most important good traded by the Maya. | 76 | |
| 10749554989 | Popul Vuh | One of the few surviving sources in the Mayan language, this oral epic features a series of hip ballgames between the gods and humans. Originally written in Mayan glyphs, it was recorded in the Roman alphabet in the 1500s. | 77 | |
| 10749554990 | Mississippian peoples | The first northern people (800-1450) to build large urban centers in the Mississippi River Valley. | 78 | |
| 10749554991 | Caral | The earliest complex society (3100-1800 B.C.E.) in the Americas, whose main urban center was located at Caral in modern-day Peru, in the Andes. | 79 | |
| 10749554992 | Chavin | Andean complex society (1200-200 B.C.E.) in modern-day Peru. Best known for its temples and large stone sculptures of animals. | 80 | |
| 10749554993 | Polynesian Triangle | An imaginary triangle with sides 4,000 miles (6,500 km) long linking Hawai'i, Easter Island, and New Zealand and containing several thousand islands. | 81 | |
| 10749554994 | Lapita pottery | Named for a site in Melanesia, a low-fired brown pottery with lines and geometric decorations made with a pointed instrument. In use between 1500 and 1000 B.C.E., it reveals the direction of migration into the Pacific. | 82 | |
| 10749554995 | double canoe | A sailing vessel made by connecting two canoes with rope to a wooden frame. Used by the ancestors of modern Polynesians for ocean voyages. Capable of speeds of 100-150 miles (160-240 km) per day. | 83 | |
| 10749554996 | etak | Traditional Polynesian system of navigation that uses the stars, clouds, waves, and bird flight patterns to steer on sea voyages. | 84 | |
| 10749554997 | moai | The name for the 887 statues, probably of ancestral leaders, made from tufa volcanic rock and erected on Easter Island around 1000. The largest are more than 70 feet (21 m) high and the heaviest weighs 270 tons. | 85 |
