Glossary 1219warp-weighted loom A rectangular, upright loom with the
warp hanging from the top crossbar and anchored by
weights on the free ends.
wattle and daub A method of building construction that
involves a wooden lattice structure covered with packed
mud, clay, and other materials.
wedge To stamp on clay to remove air pockets and impuri-
ties.
weft In weaving, the threads that run crosswise.
weir trap A cone-shaped wicker basket with an internal
funnel.
weld A plant used to make yellow dye.
well-fi eld system During the Chinese Zhou Dynasty, the
territory controlled by a duke and divided into nine
equal portions arranged in a square; the commoners
worked all the land, but the produce of the center square
belonged to the duke.
were-jaguar An Olmec sculptural fi gure combining hu-
man and jaguar traits.
wet nurse A woman who nurses another woman’s infant in
exchange for wages.
whorl A pulley that helps to rotate a spindle.
wick A short length of cloth or fi ber that draws fuel oil from
a reservoir by capillary action and then can be burned to
provide a steady light.
wickerwork shield A shield made from woven reeds or
twigs supported by a wooden frame.
wisdom literature Ancient Egyptian texts that consist of
either instructions or philosophical dialogue.woad A plant used to make blue dye.
wuxing Th e fi ve elements of ancient Chinese philosophy
and science: fi re, earth, water, wood, and metal.
xenia Greek word usually denoting the relationship be-
tween host and guest.
xenos Greek word meaning, variously, “foreigner,” “strang-
er,” or “guest-friend.”
xoanon One of a set of wooden cult objects venerated in
ancient Greece for the deities that they represented.
yakshi In India, a female supernatural being who guards
the earth’s mineral treasures.
yang In Chinese philosophy, the form of energy that sup-
posedly is hard, bright, active, and “male.”
yaws A bacterial skin infection marked by red skin erup-
tions and joint pain.
yin In Chinese philosophy, the form of energy that suppos-
edly is soft , dark, receptive, and “female.”
zaliths Members of an assembly who governed an Etruscan
city-state.
zenith Th e point on the celestial sphere directly above the
place on which the observer stands and opposite the ze-
nith.
ziggurat In ancient Mesopotamia, a pyramid-shaped tower
rising in stages of decreasing size to a shrine at the top.
zooarchaeology A fi eld of science that has to do with un-
covering, identifying, and interpreting animal remains
in archaeological contexts.
zoomorphic Having animal attributes or an animal form.
zori A Japanese sandal that resembles modern fl ip-fl ops.1195-1234_SocCultAnctWrld-v4_bm.1219 1219 10/10/07 3:30:40 PM