Glossary 1203ethnocentrism Th e concept that one’s group, however de-
fi ned, is superior to all other groups.
ethnography Th e study and systematic recording of hu-
man cultures.
ethnologist Someone who studies cultural and biological
relationships among large groups of people.
etymology Th e structural and semantic history of words.
eunomia “Good laws,” the Spartans’ favorite phrase to de-
scribe their system of government.
eunuch A castrated man typically employed in a palace, of-
ten taking charge of a harem.
eustasy Th e phenomenon of rising and falling sea levels.
excarnation Th e practice of allowing a body to decay be-
fore burial.
execration text List of foreign kings and peoples writ-
ten on Egyptian pottery and statuettes of prisoners of
war.
exomis A short, sleeveless tunic with the right side open
worn by the ancient Greeks.
exorcist A “magician” skilled in warding off disease and
the other eff ects of evil demons.
faience Earthenware decorated with glazes.
fauces Th e hall leading into a Roman house.
felt Cloth made from wool treated with water, heat, and an
alkaline.
fenestration Cutting out sections of a vessel wall in decora-
tive patterns.
feng shui An ancient Chinese worldview that sought har-
mony and balance between the opposing forces of nature
and between the physical environment and humans; its
principles were applied to the siting, design, and con-
struction of buildings.
feria (pl. feriae) Th e Latin word for “festival.”
fetch Th e distance wind travels over water unimpeded.
fetiale In ancient Rome, a member of a priestly order whose
job was to ensure that war was declared properly.
feudal system A social and economic system in which land
is held on condition of loyalty to a higher authority, as in
nobles holding land on the condition of their loyalty to
their king.
fi bula A clasp or brooch used to fasten clothing in the an-
cient world.
fi ef An estate ruled by a lesser lord within a greater feudal
kingdom.
fi lial piety In Confucian philosophy, the unquestioning de-
votion to and respect for one’s parents.
fi lid Ancient Irish bards.
fi llet A ribbon used for binding the hair or as a headband.
fi nial An ornamental projection from the top of a wall or
column or at the peak or corner of a roof.
fi red brick Clay bricks that have been hardened in fi res or
ovens, making them much more water resistant than clay
bricks dried in sunshine.
fi ring Th e practice of cooking clay vessels in a fi re in order
to make them harder.fi shtail point A ancient projectile point that takes the form
of a fi sh.
fj ord An inlet to the sea with high cliff walls, created by the
retreat of a glacier.
fl agon A type of drinking vessel with a handle and spout
and typically a lid.
fl ake tools Tools that are made from the fl attish pieces that
are knocked off in the formation of core tools.
fl amen In ancient Rome, a member of a class of priests
who ensured that proper observances and sacrifi ces were
made to the gods.
fl ax A plant material that is the basis for linen.
fl etching Th e feathers on an arrow.
fl uting Concave, semicircular grooves carved into an ar-
chitectural column.
fodder crops Plants grown specifi cally for animal con-
sumption.
foot A division of a line of verse that contains a specifi c
number of long and short syllables.
forging Shaping metal by hammering, oft en when heated
to white hot or red hot.
forum An open plaza at the center of a Roman town, used
for commercial, legal, political, and religious activity.
frame A timber oriented perpendicular to a ship’s keel, to
which a ship’s hull planking was fastened.
fresco Decorative wall painting on plaster with water-based
paint applied when the plaster is wet, allowing the color
to permeate the plaster and become permanent.
frieze A horizontal band of carved stone, typically depict-
ing a progression of events and procession of fi gures.
frontality Th e convention of always having a statue of a hu-
man facing to the front.
fundamental note Th e lowest or most dominant note that
an instrument is designed to play.
funerary cult Provisions a person makes before death to
provide everything the deceased would need in the aft er-
life, such as food off erings.
funerary priests Religious offi cials who oversaw burial
rituals and other off erings and sacrifi ces in honor of the
deceased.
futhark Runic script of the ancient Germans.
gables Triangular sections fastened to the top of end walls
in houses with double-pitched roofs.
game drives Hunting practices that involved preparing and
setting nets for migratory fi sh and birds.
gangue Th e surrounding rock in a metal ore.
garum A condiment popular in the Roman world and pro-
duced mostly in Spain, made by allowing salted fi sh in-
testines to ferment in the sun for days or weeks.
genos A Greek family or clan that shared a common ances-
tor and family name.
geocentric Having the earth at the center of the universe,
orbited by the sun, moon, planets, and stars.
geoglyph Large-scale earth drawing created using simple
geometric principles and surveying techniques.1195-1234_SocCultAnctWrld-v4_bm.1203 1203 10/10/07 3:30:37 PM