Social Study Guide Homo Habilis

Social Study Guide

Due Wednesday, Jan 19/05

A.) Definitions:

1.) Dimension - is any part of and object or event that can be measured.

2.) Absolute time - is the time measured in precise periods, dates or times.

3.) Relative time - is the time measured in relation to other things.

4.) Cyclical time - is a record of natural cycles.

5.) Linear time - is a record of events in sequence from past to the present.

6.) Equinox - is the period when day and night are the same length.

7.) Solstice - is when the sun is highest in the sky, either in the north or south. Summer solstice is the longest day of the year, and winter solstice is the shortest .

8.) Data - means facts or information. People use data as a basis for drawing conclusions about the topic or theme they are studying.

9.) Prehistory - refers to events that happened before written records.

10.) Archaeology - is the study of the remains of human behaviour in the past. It usually involves excavating sites where such remains including artifacts and ecofacts, can be found.

11.) Fossils - are the remains of plants or animals that have been preserved over centuries in the strata or layers.

12.) Theory - is a system of ideas to explain how a certain situation or event might have came about.

13.) Evolution - is the development of species ( that is , a group of animals or plants ) Through different stages over many generations.

14.) Domesticate - a wild animal is to bring it under human control.

15.) Agriculture - is the production of food by growing crops and raising animals.

16.) Sedentary - means remaining in one place.

17.) Technology - refers o both tools and know how. Tools allow human to do more know-how is the ability to solve problems systematically.

18.) Surplus - of food is an amount that is left over after a group has used what they need.

19.) City-State - is an independent or self governing state. It is made up of a city, and the surrounding area controlled by it. Sumerian city state often fought each other for control of Mesopotamia.

20.) Anthropologists - study humans, especially their evolution societies and customs.

21.) Democracy - comes from the ancient Greeks. Demos is a Greek word for "people". in a democracy the people have the power to elect the representatives who will govern them.

22.) Elite - is a small group of people considered to be wiser or more successful than the majority. As a result, they often have more power.

23.) Oligarchy - is a form of government in which is held by only a few rulers.

24.) Assimilation - occurs when some aspects of the culture of one group are absorbed or adopted by another culture.

25.) Republic - power is held by citizens who are entitled to a vote. A republic may be made up of a group of member states, and is usually headed by a president.

26.) Empire - is a group of states or territories govern by an emperor or emprise.

27.) Aristocracy - is a privileged upper class within a society. Aristocrat usually inherit there social position or right to govern from parents.

28.) Artifacts - are any object with features that have been made by human activity.

29.) Ecofacts - the remains that were not made by humans; but still provide some information that helps to understand people of the past.

30.) Dating - determine the age of an object.

31.) Absolute dating - determine the age of an object quite precisely.

32.) Relative dating method - determine whether an object is older or younger than some objects whose age is already known.

33.) Radio carbon dating method - example