| Chavin | A distinctive art style that developed in
western South America beginning about 3,000
years ago. The religious iconography of Chavin
seems to have served as a unifying influence, setting
the stage for the later development of geographically
broad empires.
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| complex societies | Societies organized beyond the
level of the household, family, or local community.
Complex societies exhibit differences in social status,
political power, and wealth.
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| dolmen | Standing stones found throughout western
Europe, erected by the same Megalithic culture
that produced Stonehenge. Though they range
widely in size, dolmen can be quite tall and heavy
stones that must have taken an enormous effort to
move into place and then to erect.
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| Halafian | A culture in Mesopotamia dating from
7500 to 6700 B.P. Halafian sites generally are small
farming villages.
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| Hassunan | A culture in Mesopotamia dating from
8000 to 7200 B.P. that was characterized by small
farming villages where subsistence was based on
the growing of wheat, barley, peas, and lentils.
Hunting supplemented the diet.
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| lintels | Horizontal cross-members of the Stonehenge
monument. The 30 lintels at Stonehenge rest
on top of and connect the 30 upright sarsens.
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| megaliths | Large stone monuments. The Megalithic
culture erected thousands of these monuments beginning
more than 5,000 years ago. Stonehenge is
the most famous of the Megalithic monuments.
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| Mesopotamia | The land between the Tigris and Euphrates
Rivers in modern Iraq. The world’s first
cities and complex civilization developed in
Mesopotamia.
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| Olmec | An ancient culture of lowland Mesoamerica
dating to 3,200 years ago. The Olmec produced a
number of large ceremonial centers where they
created great earthworks, finely carved jade sculptures,
and massive basalt carvings of human heads.
The religious iconography of Olmec art seems to
have served as a unifying element in ancient
Mesoamerica.
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| rank societies | Societies characterized by a few sociopolitical
levels filled by a relatively small number
of people.
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| sarsens | The 30 upright stones at Stonehenge are
called the sarsens. Each sarsen is over 3 m (10 ft)
tall and weighs 25,000 kg (55,000 lb).
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| tholoi | A new architectural form seen at Halafian
sites in Mesopotamia dating to after 7500 B.P.
Tholoi appear to have been communal storage facilities
for Neolithic people and may also have
served as burial chambers for a growing class of socioeconomically
important individuals.
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| trilithon | Set of three stones, two uprights and one
lintel, at Stonehenge. There are five trilithons at
Stonehenge. The largest of the trilithon uprights
stand about 8 m (24 ft) above the surface, with an
additional 2 m (6 ft) of stone nestled in the
ground. The largest of the trilithon uprights
weighs 45,000 kg (nearly 100,000 lb) and the associated
lintel weighs 9,000 kg (nearly 20,000 lb).
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| Umm Dabaghiyah | A Neolithic culture in northern
Mesopotamia dating to more than 8,000 years ago
and characterized by a subsistence base of wheat,
barley, sheep, and goats. Hunting was still important,
and their settlements were small.
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2003 McGraw-Hill Higher Education