Encyclopedia of Society and Culture in the Ancient World

1206 Glossary insula A Roman apartment building, usually multistoried. interaction sphere In prehistoric cultures, groups that h ...

Glossary 1207 laudatio Th e Roman ceremony of displaying and eulogiz- ing a dead person before cremation or burial. lay Song of ...

1208 Glossary lyric poetry Short, very personal poetry that deals with the poet’s feelings or state of mind. maat In ancient Egy ...

Glossary 1209 model A small-scale reproduction of an object that could magically be animated. moiety One of two units into which ...

1210 Glossary obol A weight of metal in ancient Greece, equivalent to one-sixth of a drachma. obsidian A volcanic glass that was ...

Glossary 1211 panegyric Laudatory written or oral poem. pankration An event in ancient Greece that combined ele- ments of boxing ...

1212 Glossary pithoi Large terra-cotta jars used for storage in ancient Greece and Rome. placebo eff ect Th e eff ect seen when ...

Glossary 1213 prytanis (pl. prytaneis) Member of the executive committee presiding over the Athenian boulē, or citizens’ council ...

1214 Glossary rites of passage Rituals used within a community to mark the transition of individuals from one status to another, ...

Glossary 1215 purpose of studying past environmental or human con- ditions sedimentary rock Rock formed from sediment that has d ...

1216 Glossary spar A pole used for support on a watercraft. speakers of the laws Legal specialists in the Persian Empire who exp ...

Glossary 1217 taboos Practices or objects that are forbidden or banned because of social custom or religious practices. talent T ...

1218 Glossary tribunal Th e raised platform at one end of a basilica from where a judge or other magistrates presided over a hea ...

Glossary 1219 warp-weighted loom A rectangular, upright loom with the warp hanging from the top crossbar and anchored by weights ...

Ca. 2 million years ago: Homo erectus emerges and spreads to Asia and Europe ca. 1 million–500,000 years ago: Homo erectus gains ...

ca. 18,000–ca. 3,000 B.C.E.: The fi rst Americans migrate from Siberia over the Bering Sea Land Bridge, now the Bering Strait, i ...

1222 Chronology by Region ca. 5000 B.C.E.: Egyptians fi rst build canals and dikes to irrigate crops. ca. 4500 B.C.E.: Start of ...

Chronology by Region 1223 ca. 6000 B.C.E.: The Coahuiltecan culture forms in Texas; North American popula- tion groups become mo ...

1224 Chronology by Region 2000 B.C.E. – 1000 B.C.E. 1000 B.C.E. – 500 B.C.E. ca. 2000 B.C.E.: Date assigned to the remains of ci ...

Chronology by Region 1225 ca. 2000 B.C.E.: Arctic ancestors of the Inuit begin to use small tools, especially the harpoon. ca. 1 ...