Glossary 1201deferent A hypothetical circle along which moves the ep-
icycle, a theoretical orbit of the earth, sun, moon, and
planets.
Delphi Th e most sacred and famous oracle of ancient
Greece, dedicated to Apollo, god of prophecy.
deluge A fl ood; oft en used to refer to the Flood mentioned
in the Bible in the story of Noah and his ark.
demagogue A leader who rises to power through playing
on people’s prejudices or one who champions the cause
of the people.
deme Basic geographic unit of Athens, equivalent to a
neighborhood or ward.
democracy A political system in which governing power
rests broadly on the population generally.
demography Th e study of a population’s characteristics,
such as birth and death rates, density, growth, distribu-
tion, and breeding patterns.
demos Th e citizen body of Athens.
demotic A simplifi ed form of Egyptian hieroglyphic writ-
ing.
denarius (pl. denarii) A Roman silver coin.
denomination A specifi c class of coin with a specifi c val-
ue.
derrick A tall platform over an underground well that is
used to raise and lower drills and containers.
desertifi cation Process that causes fertile land to become
desert.
deshret “Red land” in the Egyptian language, referring to
desert, in contrast to kemet (cultivatable land), or “black
land.”
desiccation Th e process of drying something out thor-
oughly.
determinative A hieroglyph placed aft er the phonetic spell-
ing of an ancient Egyptian word relating to the meaning
of that word, like an ear placed aft er the verb meaning
“to hear.”
deterministic A theory or belief that any event or set of
events is the inevitable consequence of what precedes
and causes it and cannot be avoided.
devaraja Th e Hindu concept of the divinity of secular
rulers.
devolution of property Th e transfer of land from one gen-
eration to the next.
dharma In Hindu and Buddhist philosophy, divine law as
associated with the moral duty of individuals.
dhoti A wrapped Indian garment resembling loose, short
trousers.
dhow A sailing vessel with triangular sails that was heav-
ily used beginning in ancient times in the Indian Ocean,
especially for trade between Africans and Arabs.
di indigetes Ancient Rome’s native gods.
di novensides In ancient Rome, “newcomer gods” imported
from foreign cultures.
diadem A headband, like a crown, worn as an adornment
by the royalty.dialect A subgroup of a language usually (but not always)
comprehensible to speakers of the parent language.
diaspora Dispersal of a people from its homeland.
diaulos A running event in ancient Greece covering rough-
ly a quarter mile.
dictator In ancient Rome, a special kind of magistrate ap-
pointed by the Senate to act in times of emergency and
who had almost unlimited power but whose term was
limited, usually to about six months.
didactic poetry Poetry that teaches a lesson.
die An engraved metal device for stamping a design into a
soft er metal such as a coin.
dikai demosiai In Athens, public lawsuits in which pros-
ecution could be initiated either by magistrates or by pri-
vate individuals not directly connected to the case.
dioptra In ancient Greece, a sighting rod used in mapping
and surveying.
diorite A hard, grayish stone that was commonly used
in ancient Mesopotamia for freestanding obelisks and
commemorative slabs. Diorite could be polished to a
glossy sheen.
diphros A simple stool or low chair in ancient Greece, with-
out arms or a back.
diploidion A piece of material left long in front and folded
at the shoulders worn by the ancient Greeks.
distaff Any tool used to hold fi bers for spinning; in the Roman
period it was a stick of wood, bone, metal, or even ivory.
distributive economy An economy in which a central
authority collects food and other goods, stores the col-
lections, and then redistributes them according to the
people’s social positions or needs.
dithyramb An impassioned choric hymn and dance of an-
cient Greece, performed in honor of Dionysus.
divination A ritual observation of nature for signs that the
will of the gods is favorable or unfavorable to a specifi c
action, as a way to determine whether a contemplated ac-
tion should be taken.
dolichos In ancient Greece, a race of about 2.5 to 3 miles.
dolmen A type of stone monument in which a horizontal
stone slab lies atop a set of upright stones.
domestication A process by which plants and animals are
altered by human selection, resulting in loss of the ability
to survive in the wild.
domus An ancient Roman home, especially in the cities.
Doric One of the three orders, or styles, of Greek architec-
ture, distinguished by thick, sturdy columns and plain
capitals.
dowel A pin fi tted with holes to hold two pieces in place
together.
downcutting Stream erosion that deepens a valley.
down-the-line trade A pattern of exchange whereby goods
are passed from one person (or group) to another.
dowry Payment of property accompanying a bride to her
new house, available for the husband’s use but repaid to
the wife’s family should the marriage dissolve.1195-1234_SocCultAnctWrld-v4_bm.1201 1201 10/10/07 3:30:36 PM