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50 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Animism |
The belief that the forces of nature are inhabited by spirits. |
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Clan |
A group that traces its descent from a common ancestor. |
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Culture |
The sum total of those things (including traditions, techniques, material goods and symbol systems) that people have invented, developed and transmitted. |
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Cuneiform |
"wedgw-shaped" One of human kind's earliest writing systems, consisting of wedge-shaped marks impressed into clay by means of a reed stylus. |
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Dolmen |
A stone tomb formed by two posts capped by a lintel. |
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Hieroglyph |
"sacred sign" in Greek. the pictograph script of Ancient Egypt. |
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Hominid |
Any of a family of bipedal primate mammals, including modern humans and their ancestors, the earliest which was Austalopithecus |
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Ideogram |
A sign that represents an idea or thing. |
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Lost Wax |
(Cire-Perdu in French) A method of metal casting in which a figure is modeled in wax, then enclosed in a clay mold that is fired; the wax melts , the molten metal is poured in to replace it; finally, the clay mold is removed and the solid metal form is polished. |
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Megalith |
a large, roughly shaped stone, often used in ancient architectual construction. |
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Phonogram |
a sign that represents a sound. |
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Pictograph |
A pictoral system used in humankind's earliest systems of writing. |
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Polychrome |
Having many or various colors. |
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Post and Lintel |
The simplest form of architectural construction, consisting of vertical members (posts) and supporting horizontals (lintels). |
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Prehistory |
The study of history before written records. |
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Shaman |
A priestly leader or healer who meditates between the natural and the spiritual world. |
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Stele |
An upright stone slab or pillar. |
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Antiphonal |
A type of music which two or more groups of voices or instruments alternate with one another. |
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Cantor |
The chief singer of the liturgy. |
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Covenant |
Contract; the bond between the Hebrew people and their god. |
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Empire |
The state achieved militarily by the unification or territories under a single sovereign power. |
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Epic |
A long narrative poem that recounts the deeds of a legendary or historical hero in his quest for meaning or identity. |
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Lapis Lazuli |
A semiprecious blue stone. |
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Liturgy |
The rituals for a public worship. |
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Menorah |
a seven-branched candelabrum. |
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Monarch |
A single or sole ruler. |
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Monotheism |
the belief in one and only one god. |
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Mosaic |
A medium by which small pieces of glass or stone are used to ornamate a flat surface. |
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Polytheism |
The belief in many gods. |
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Prophet |
Greek: "One who speaks for another. a divinely inspired teacher. |
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Responsory |
A type of music in which a single voice answers another voice or chorus. |
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Shofar |
A trumpet made of a ram's horn, used to summon Jews to prayer. |
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Synagogue |
The Jewish house for worship and religious study. |
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Theocracy |
Rule, by god or god's representative. |
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Torah |
"instruction" "law" or "teaching" The first five books of the Hebrew bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. |
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Ziggurat |
A terraced tower of rubble and brick that served ancient Mesopotamians as a temple-shrine. |
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Cosmology |
The theory of the origins, evolution, and structure of the universe. |
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Dynasty |
a sequence of rulers from the same family. |
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Canon |
A set of rules or standards used to establish proportions. |
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Fresco Secco |
"fresh" or "dry" in Italian. A method of painting on walls or ceilings surfaced with moist lime plaster. |
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Hypostyle |
A hall whose roof is supported by columns. |
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Lyre |
Any one of a group of plucked stringed instruments; usually made of tortoise shell or horn and therefore light in weight. |
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Lyric |
Literally "accompanied by the lyre," hence, verse that is meant to be sung rather than spoken; usually characterized by individual or personal emotion. |
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Mastaba |
Early rectangular Egyptian tomb with sloping sides and a flat roof. |
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Module |
A unit of measurement used to determine proportion. |
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Obelisk |
A tall, four sided pillar that tapers to a pyramidal apex. |
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Papyrus |
A reedlike plant from which the ancient Egyptians made paper. |
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Pylon |
A massive gateway in the form of a pair of trundicated pyramids. |
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Pyramid |
A four sided structure rising to a peak. |
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Relief |
A sculptural technique in which figures or forms are carved either to project from the background suface (raised relief) or cut away from below the background level (sunk relief); the degree of relief is designated as high, low, or sunken. |