Glossary 1215purpose of studying past environmental or human con-
ditions
sedimentary rock Rock formed from sediment that has
drift ed down and settled in a seabed.
seine A fi shing net that hangs vertically in the water via
fl oats at the top and weights at the bottom.
seismic Relating to an earthquake.
selvedge Edge of a textile created by the looping of the weft
around the warp.
senator Th e highest-ranking Roman class, consisting es-
sentially of former magistrates. Th eir wealth lay in land,
since they were banned from engaging in trade.
senyu In ancient Egypt, a weight in silver equal to one-half
deben, or 1.75 ounces.
sepulchre A tomb.
serf A category of dependent person attached to the soil.
sericulture Th e breeding and raising of silkworms.
serpentine A soft , blue-green stone, sometimes used by the
Olmec as an apparent substitute for more valuable jade.
sesterti (pl. sestertii) A Roman coin, made of silver or
bronze, equal to one-fourth of a denarius.
sexagesimal In a mathematical system, relying on the base
number 60.
sexireme A ship with six rows of oarsmen.
sextant A navigational device used measuring angles to a
celestial body as a way to calculate, with a calibration of
60 degrees.
shabitib (pl. shabitii) Small fi gure placed in an Egyptian
tomb used as a substitute workman in case the spirit of
the deceased is called on to do work in the aft erlife.
shaduf A tool for irrigation made of a long branch or pole
on a frame, with a bucket at one end and a counterweight
at the other, allowing the operator to lower the bucket
into the water and then easily raise it out with the help of
the counterweight.
shaman A person who acts as intermediary between the
natural and supernatural worlds, using magic or sorcery
for purposes of healing, divination, and control over
natural events.
shed rod A stick that separates warp threads into over-and-
under groups.
sheet bronze Bronze that has been beaten or compressed
into a thin sheet, which can then be fashioned into tubu-
lar and other shapes.
shemu Th e “drought season,” one of three seasons in the
Egyptian calendar, based on the stages of the Nile’s
transformation.
shinty A game resembling fi eld hockey and dating to an-
cient times in the British Isles.
sibbe An ancient Germanic clan.
sickle sword A sword with a blade that curves so that it re-
sembles the sickle used in harvesting crops.
sidelock of youth A long ponytail, worn to one side by
youngsters.
sidereal Having a relation to or based on the stars.silt Sand or earth, usually fi ne grained, carried by fl owing
water and then deposited.
singlet A loose shirt made of one layer of cloth.
sirocco A warm, moist Mediterranean wind.
sistrum (pl. sistra) An ancient Egyptian hand-held per-
cussive musical instrument consisting of a handle and a
U-shaped frame with crossbars holding loose rings that
would jangle or tinkle when the instrument was shaken.
situla (pl. situlae) A bronze vessel, similar to a bucket.
skene A rectangular building with one to three doors at the
rear of the Greek stage, oft en representing a house, pal-
ace, military tent, cave, or other enclosure.
skyphos (pl. skyphoi) A deep, two-handled cup.
slag What remains aft er ore is smelted and metal is re-
moved.
slash-and-burn agriculture Th e practice of felling and
burning trees to clear land for planting.
slip A thick clay-based liquid coating applied to the surface
of a ceramic vessel, either for decorative purposes or to
make the vessel surface less porous.
smallpox A highly contagious and deadly viral disease that
produces fever and skin eruptions.
smelting A method of separating metal from surrounding
rock or soil through heating or mixing with chemicals;
also the process of heating and transforming mineral
ores into more refi ned and usable fi nished metals and al-
loys.
social stratifi cation Th e division of people into classes;
from the word strata, meaning “layers.”
socket ax A battle-ax with a bronze or iron head possessing
a socket that slips over the end of the ax’s handle to which
the head is fastened with a rivet.
soil resistivity testing Detecting changes in the electrical
resista nce of t he soi l in order to fi nd the remains of struc-
tures hidden beneath the ground.
solar calendar A calendar that bases a year on the time it
takes the earth to complete one revolution around the
sun.
solar year A year based on the time it takes the earth to
complete one revolution around the sun; a calendar year
of 365 days.
solar zenith passage Th e day of the year when the sun
passes directly overhead and casts no shadow on vertical
objects.
solstice Th e point at which days are longest or shortest, de-
pending on the earth’s tilt to its orbital plane. Th e winter
solst ice occu rs i n December i n t he Nor t her n Hem isphere
and in June the Southern Hemisphere, and the summer
solstices are the reverse.
sophistēs A sophist, or professional teacher of rhetoric in
ancient Greece; literally “professional wise person.”
sorghum A cereal grain crop.
sound box On a stringed instrument, the hollow shell that
amplifi es the sound of the strings.
souterrain Underground chambers lined with stone.1195-1234_SocCultAnctWrld-v4_bm.1215 1215 10/10/07 3:30:39 PM