Inventions and innovations Terms and Definitions Flashcards
(34 cards)
An object made by humans, often from the past, that provides insight into the culture or technology of a society.
Artifact
The time period before the year 1 CE, used as a secular alternative to BC (Before Christ).
Before Common Era (BCE)
The beliefs, customs, arts, and social practices of a particular group of people or society.
Culture
A person or society that survives by hunting wild animals and gathering wild plants for food rather than farming or domesticating animals.
Hunter-Gatherer
The tools, techniques, and methods used by humans to solve problems and improve life, such as the wheel, fire, or farming tools.
Technology
The creation of something new or a novel idea, usually a tool or technique, designed to improve human life.
Invention
A social group formed by people who are related by blood or marriage, often a key unit in early human societies.
Kin group
A person or group who moves from place to place, usually following food sources or seasons, without a permanent settlement.
Nomad
A member of the biological family Hominidae, which includes humans, their ancestors, and relatives such as great apes.
Hominid
The early phase of the Stone Age, characterized by the use of simple stone tools and hunting and gathering.
Paleolithic Era
The annual cycle of hunting, gathering, or farming activities, typically linked to the seasons and migrations.
Seasonal Round
The introduction of new ideas, methods, or devices to improve or change an existing system.
Innovation
The process of breeding and raising wild animals for human use, such as for food, labor, or companionship.
Domestication (of Animals)
A large ancient settlement in Turkey, one of the first known cities, notable for its early development of agriculture and art.
Catal Huyuk
A farming method that involves clearing land by cutting down and burning vegetation to create fields for crops.
Slash and Burn Agriculture
The transition from a nomadic, hunter-gatherer lifestyle to settled farming and the domestication of plants and animals, marking the beginning of the Neolithic Era.
Neolithic Revolution
The division of work into specific roles or tasks, allowing individuals to focus on one activity, which increases efficiency and expertise.
Specialization (of labor)
Skilled workers who create handmade goods, such as pottery, textiles, metalwork, or tools.
Artisans
A period of human history characterized by the use of bronze to make tools and weapons, following the Stone Age
Bronze Age
The exchange of goods and services directly for other goods and services without using money.
Barter
A self-governing city that is also an independent state, often with its own laws, government, and military.
City-State
A complex society with advanced development in areas such as government, social structure, technology, and culture. Civilizations center around the following characteristics (advanced cities, record keeping, improved/advance technology, complex institutions, specialized workers)
Civilization
One of the earliest systems of writing, developed by the Sumerians in Mesopotamia, using wedge-shaped marks on clay tablets.
Cuniform
A crescent-shaped region in the Middle East, known for its rich soils and the birthplace of early civilizations, including Mesopotamia.
Fertile Crescent
