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UGC 111: Chapters 5-7
Cordilleras |
A continuous spine of mountain ranges near or along the entire western coast of the Americas |
El Nino |
A periodic reversal of the normal flow of currents in the Pacific, greatly altering weather patterns |
Midden |
A refuse pile; archaeologists treasure such piles because a great deal can be learned about the material culture of a society by what people threw out over long periods of time |
Teosinte |
A wild grass native to Mesoamerica, believed to be critical in the development of maize |
Chiefdom |
An agricultural village or town of up to 1,000 inhabitants, in which people know each other, requiring a person of authority (an elder of the head of a family) to keep order as a respected chief |
Kingdom |
A city-state or territorial state in which a ruler, claiming a divine mandate and supported by a military force, keeps order and provides for the defense against outside attacks |
Sahel |
An area of steppe or semidesert bordering the Sahara |
Witchcraft |
An animistic belief in which an evil person (male or female) can harm an innocent victim at a distance and cause the victim to become possessed, with attendant illness |
Polytheism |
Personification of the forces of nature and performance of rituals and sacrifices to assure the benevolence of the gods and goddesses |
Glyphic Script |
The Maya developed a script of some 800 images. Some are pictograms standing for words, others are syllables to be combined with other syllables to form words |
Geoglyphs |
Long geometric lines and figures as well as outlines of animals formed in the desert by picking up darker stones and exposing the lighter sand underneath |
Cataphracts |
Heavily armed and protected cavalry soldiers |
Hoplites |
Greek foot soldiers fighting in closed ranks, called "phalanxes" |
Oracles |
Temples situated on the no-man's land between city-states and guided by priests or priestesses |
Hellenistic |
Period of Greek history from 323 BCE to 31 BCE |
Republic |
State without a royal dynasty and with an elected executive |
Legionaires |
Roman foot soldiers fighting in closed ranks |
Latifundia |
Large, ruling class-owned estates with tenant farmers or slaves |
Transcendence |
Realm of reality above and beyond the limits of material experience |
Synagogues |
Jewish meeting places for prayer and legal consultation |