1208 Glossarylyric poetry Short, very personal poetry that deals with the
poet’s feelings or state of mind.
maat In ancient Egyptian cosmology, cosmic harmony
(personifi ed as a goddess) as established by the creator
god at the beginning of time, including truth, justice,
moral ethics, and social and political order.
mace A ceremonial staff.
madder A plant used to make red dye.
magic lantern A device used to illuminate and project im-
ages and silhouettes onto a screen.
maguey A plant from the cactus family indigenous to Mex-
ico, used for a variety of purposes, particularly for its fi -
bers to create cloth.
mail shirt A body covering composed of interlaced rings or
chain work and normally extending below the waist.
major lunar standstill(s) Th e moon’s farthest rising and
setting points north and south on the horizon over an
18.6 -year c ycle.
malakaras Garland makers in ancient India.
malaria Epidemic infection caused by a parasite transmit-
ted through the bite of a mosquito and causing recurring
chills and fever.
mammoth Any large, elephantlike mammal of the extinct
genus Mammuthus.
mangroves Woody trees that live in coastal habitats.
maniple Th e basic unit of the Roman army, consisting of
either 120 or 60 men.
mantle A large, rectangular cloth arranged around the
neck and over the shoulders.
mantra A sacred word or phrase that a person chants over
and over to achieve spiritual eff ects.
manumit To free a slave.
manus Th e power that a husband held over his wife in an-
cient Rome.
manuscript Writing on a sheet of papyrus or vellum.
mastaba Underground tomb carved down into rock and
topped aboveground with a square masonry platform.
material culture Th e material remains (artifacts, dwell-
ings, and other constructions) of past societies.
matriarchal society A society in which women hold domi-
nant positions or in which inheritance follows the mater-
nal rather than the paternal line.
matrilineal Descriptive of a culture in which lines of de-
scent are traced through the mother and her ancestors
rather than through the father.
matron A woman in the most legitimate and respected
form of Roman marriage.
mattocks Digging tools or picks.
maul A heavy stone hammer used to break up rock.
mead An alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey
and water.
meander An ornamental pattern resembling a labyrinth.
mechane In ancient Greece, a cranelike device used to lift a
performer above the ground.mechanics Th e expertise of making and designing ma-
chines.
medicine wheel Large patterns of linear stone alignments,
many of which have the appearance of a spoked wheel.
medium of exchange Any class of objects used by people as
if it were money.
megalith Literally “great stone,” referring to the use of
large stones in the construction of Neolithic tombs and
other features (for example, geometric fi gures, such as
circles, as well as lines or avenues for which the mas-
sive stones served as markers), especially in central and
western Europe.
menhir A single tall megalith, oft en posited as part of a
sightline for astronomical observation.
meridian A great circle on the surface of a sphere that pass-
es through both poles.
meter Th e rhythmic pattern of a poem.
metics Resident “aliens,” or foreigners, with no rights of
citizenship in a Greek city-state; this group was made up
largely of immigrants and former slaves and was concen-
trated largely in Athens.
Metonic cycle A lunar calendar devised by the Greek as-
tronomer Meton, using 19-year cycles totaling 235
months.
metope A pictorial panel, part of the frieze on the entabla-
ture of a building.
metrological A system of counting that separates the unit
of measurement from the thing being counted.
metropolis A large and densely populated urban area.
miasmas Impurities fl oating in the air and resulting from
any kind of pollution.
microliths Small retouched blades or blade segments usu-
a l ly made of fl ints and commonly used in composite tools
or weapons such as knives, arrows and harpoons.
microtonal scale A musical scale that contains more notes
within an octave than the traditional 12 notes of the
Western scale.
middens Heaps of refuse, especially kitchen waste.
midrib A thickening down the middle of a dagger for add-
ed strength.
midwife A woman who helps other women give birth.
millet A small-seeded grass that is used for food.
milpa A form of agriculture in which a clearing is cropped
for one or more seasons, then abandoned.
mime In ancient Rome, a popular form of theater that fea-
tured skits, songs, dances, magic acts, and acrobatics
while emphasizing sexual jokes and parodies.
mina A weight of metal in ancient Greece, equivalent to
100 drachmas.
miter joint Th e ends of two pieces of wood cut at comple-
mentary angles and fi tted together to create a 90-degree
angle.
mode A set pattern of notes played over an octave using the
white keys of a keyboard.1195-1234_SocCultAnctWrld-v4_bm.1208 1208 10/10/07 3:30:38 PM