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Anthropology - The study of
humanity, culturally and physically, in all times and places.
Forensic anthropology is the application of anthropological
knowledge and techniques in a legal context, to detect crime and
identify criminals. This involves detailed knowledge of osteology
Archaeology - The study of human
history and prehistory through the excavation of sites and the
analysis of physical remains
Artifact - A material object
of a culture such as a tool, an article of clothing or a prepared
food
Audience – A class of entity for whom
the resource is intended or useful
Autobiography - An individual's
account of their life
Available – Date (often a range)
that the resource became or will become available
Avalonia - A separate plate in the
Early Paleozoic consisting of much of Northern Europe,
Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and some coastal parts of New
England
B
Baltica
- A separate continental plate of the Early Paleozoic composed of
the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, European Russia and Central
Europe; named for the Baltic Sea
Barbarian - A Greek word adopted by
the Romans to refer to any people who did not adopt the Roman way
of life. It is said to have come originally from the sound bar-bar,
which, according to the Greeks, was supposed to be the noise that
people made when speaking foreign languages
Bering Land
Bridge - The vast tundra plain that was exposed
between Asia and North America during the Last Glacial Maximum,
about 21,000 years ago; it served as a migration route for people,
animals, and plants. Also known as Beringia
Bibliography - A list of works,
including books, journals and essays, on a particular subject
Bibliographic Citation – A bibliographic
reference for the resource
Biography - An account of an
individual's life, written by another person
Blitzkrieg - German for 'lightning
war'. A military strategy used by the Germans at the beginning of
World War II to achieve victory through a series of quick
offensives, especially in Belgium, Holland and France. After an
initial bombardment, armour and motorised infantry were mobilised
rapidly to break the weakest parts of the enemy line
Bolsheviks - Having split from the
Russian Socialist movement in 1903, the Bolsheviks ('Majority')
developed into a small, tightly organised, revolutionary Marxist
group led by Lenin, for whom violence was a legitimate instrument
of power. In November 1917, they took control of a chaotic Russia,
becoming the de facto rulers after the subsequent civil war. They
then renamed themselves the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
(CPSU)
Book Review - A critical
examination of a text, usually including a summary of the work and
opposing views
Bourgeoisie - The capitalist class
(see capitalism below) that came to be known as the middle class,
between the aristocracy and the working class. A new middle class
of merchants and businessmen prospered throughout Europe from the
16th century, and especially in Britain, which Napoleon described
as a 'nation of shopkeepers'. The term 'bourgeois' is used
derogatorily to describe anything considered humdrum, unimaginative
and/or selfishly materialistic
Bronze
Age - In Britain, this was the period – from about
2300 to 700 BC – when metal first began to be widely used, possibly
as a result of the increase in contact with Europe. However,
various types of stone, particularly flint, remained very important
for long after metal became available. The Bronze Age saw the
introduction of cremation of the dead and burials in round barrows.
The later (and best known) phases of construction at Stonehenge
also date from this period
C
Caesar - Contrary to popular
opinion, the term 'Caesar' did not originally mean 'emperor',
although in modern times, it has come to be defined as a synonym
for autocrat. When the Roman leader Gaius Julius Caesar was
assassinated in 44 BC, his nephew and successor Augustus had
himself formally adopted by the dead man and so also adopted the
family name Caesar. Tiberius and Caligula inherited it by adoption
as well. Later Roman emperors acquired the name upon their
succession or when they were formally adopted as heirs
Cathaysian Terranes - A set of small
landmasses that developed in tropical to subtropical latitudes on
the eastern side of Pangea during the Permian and Triassic,
includes modern North China (Sino-Korea), South China (Yangtze),
Eastern Qiangtang, Tarim, and Indochina.
Cimmerian Terranes - An archipelago of small
landmasses that developed in tropical and subtropical latitudes on
the eastern side of Pangea during the Triassic, blocks that
comprised it include modern Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Tibet, and
Malaysia; also called Cimmeria
Congo Craton - A separate
continental plate that rifted from the supercontinent Rodinia in
the Late Precambrian; contained a large part of north-central
Africa
Context
- The background and specific circumstances of a subject, such as
an author's lifestyle, or the weather during a train crash
Contributor – An entity
responsible for making contributions to the resource
Coverage – Information about who can
access the resource or an indication of its security status
Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway - The
epicontinental sea that formed as marine waters from the north
spread over North America from around 130 to 70 million years ago
(Ma), at its peak in the Middle Cretaceous (~ 90 Ma) it extended
from present-day Utah to the Appalachians and from the Arctic to
the Gulf of Mexico; also referred to as the Western Interior Seaway
D
Date – A point or period of time
associated with an event in the life cycle of the resource
Discipline - The study, or
practice, of a subject using a specific set of methods, terms and
approaches. History is a discipline, as is Archaeology, Chemistry
or Biology
E
Encyclopedia - A written
reference work, composed of informative articles arranged
alphabetically. These can either focus on a particular subject or,
in the case of the Encyclopedia Britannica, on everything
Euramerica - A supercontinent that
existed in the Late Silurian through Devonian, formed by the
collision of Baltica, Laurentia, and Avalonia; included modern
North America, Greenland, Scandinavia, and Europe; also called the
“Old Red Continent” for the red color of its oxidized deposits
G
Gondwana - A supercontinent that
existed from Cambrian to Jurassic time, mainly composed of South
America, Africa, Madagascar, India, Antarctica, and Australia
H
History
- Although commonly used to refer to events which happened earlier
in time, 'history' in academic study is either the study of the
past or the product of our attempts to understand the past, rather
than the past itself
Historiography - Either the
methods and principles used in the study of history, or the written
result
I
Iapetus
Ocean - A relatively small ocean that existed between
the continents of Laurentia, Baltica, and Avalonia from the Late
Precambrian to the Devonian
Interdisciplinary - The study, or
practice, of a subject which applies the methods and approaches of
several disciplines. For instance, while History, Literature and
Archaeology are separate disciplines, they can be combined
J
Journal
- A periodical which normally deals with a specific issue, for
instance, National Geographic
L
Laurasia - A supercontinent that
existed from the Jurassic to Early Tertiary after splitting from
Pangea; composed of Laurentia, Baltica, Avalonia, (modern North
America, Scandinavia, Greenland, Western and Central Europe);
eventually fragmented into Eurasia and North America in the
Tertiary with the opening of the North Atlantic Ocean
Laurentia - A separate continental
plate that existed from the Late Precambrian to Silurian,
consisting of the major part of North America, northwest Ireland,
Scotland, Greenland, and pieces of Norway and Russia
P
Paleo-Tethys Ocean - A
large ocean that originated between eastern Gondwana, Siberia,
Kazakhstan, and Baltica in the Ordovician and finally closed in the
Jurassic; replaced by the Tethys Ocean as eastern Pangea was
assembled
Pangea - A supercontinent that
existed from the end of the Permian to the Jurassic, assembled from
large continents like Euramerica, Gondwana, and Siberia, as well as
smaller landmasses like the Cathaysian and Cimmerian terranes;
Greek for “all lands.”
Pannotia - A supercontinent that
existed in the Late Precambrian and gave rise to the continents of
Gondwana, Laurentia, Siberia, and Baltica in the Cambrian
Panthalassic
Ocean - A vast ocean that existed from the Late
Precambrian to the Jurassic, circling the globe and connecting to
smaller oceans that developed throughout the Phanerozoic; also
known as the Panthalassa
Primary Sources - Material from,
or directly related to, the past. In History, primary sources are
usually letters, records or other documents created during the
period that is being studied, such as diaries, legal notices or
accounts. However, primary sources can include photographs, jewelry
and other items
R
Rodinia
- A supercontinent that existed during the Late Precambrian before
the supercontinent Pannotia; the oldest supercontinent for which we
have a good record; Russian for "homeland"
Reference Work - A text, usually in the form
of a dictionary or encyclopedia which contains facts and
information, but not normally discussions
S
Secondary Sources - Material
created by somebody removed from the event being studied - who was
either not at the event, or was working later. For instance, all
historical textbooks are secondary sources
Siberia
- A separate continental plate that existed from the Latest
Precambrian to the Carboniferous, composed of a large part of
central Russia, namely Siberia
T
Tethys
Ocean - A small ocean that existed from the Triassic
to the Jurassic; as Pangea was split into Gondwana and Laurasia in
the Jurassic, an arm developed westward called the Tethys Seaway or Tethys Sea
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