Democracy is a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a

state, typically through elected representatives. In modern usage, it has three senses—all for a
system of government where the citizens exercise power by voting. In a direct democracy (e.g.
Ancient Greece), the citizens as a whole form a governing body and vote directly on each issue.
In a representative democracy (e.g. United States) the citizens elect representatives from among
themselves. These representatives meet to form a governing body, such as a legislature. In
a constitutional democracy (e.g. India, United States) the powers of the majority are exercised
within the framework of a representative democracy, but the constitution limits the majority and
protects the minority, usually through the enjoyment by all of certain individual rights, e.g.
freedom of speech, or freedom of association.

City-state is a sovereign state, also described as a small independent country that usually consists
of a single city and its dependent territories. A city-state has autonomy in exercising its political,
economic and cultural affairs. Historically, this included cities such as Rome and Athens. The
term currently applies to Singapore, Monaco, and Vatican City.

Civilization is any complex society characterized by urban development, social

stratification imposed by a cultural elite, symbolic systems of communication (for
example, writing systems), and a perceived separation from and domination over the natural
environment (surplus of production).

Neolithic Revolution (New Stone Age) was the first agricultural revolution that laid the
foundation for civilizations. It was a gradual change from nomadic hunting and gathering
communities to agriculture, domestication of animals and permanent settlements, making an
increasingly larger population possible. This period is described as a “revolution” because it
marked a transition from one way of living to another, for centuries to come, ushering in a new
era of human history. There were various Neolithic towns scattered across the globe. Examples
include Catalhoyuk and Jericho.

Nomad is a member of a community of people without fixed habitation who regularly move to
and from the same areas, including nomadic hunter-gatherers, pastoral
nomads (owning livestock), and tinker or trader nomads.

Paleolithic period is a period in human prehistory distinguished by the original development

of stone tools and is also known as the Old Stone Age. Paleolithic humans were hunter-gatherers
and lived in small, mobile groups. Hunter-gatherers obtained their food by foraging (collecting
wild plants and pursuing wild animals).

Patriarchy is a social system or government in which males hold primary power and predominate
in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege and control of property. Some
patriarchal societies are patrilineal i.e. descent is reckoned through the male line.
Presentism is introduction of present-day ideas and perspectives into interpretations of the past
that creates a distorted understanding of the historical subject matter. It influences historical
perspective in an unbalanced way due to its emphasis on present day issues in interpreting the
past. Our interpretations of the past must not be influenced by what we find unattractive from a
contemporary/present day perspective. It will be severe injustice to the personalities or cultures
of other ages.

Pastoralism is the branch of agriculture concerned with the raising of livestock. It is animal
husbandry: the care, tending and use of animals such as cattle and sheep. Pastoralism generally
has a mobile aspect; moving the herds in search of fresh pasture and water and is similar to
nomadic movements.

Animism is the idea that a divine/spiritual force lay within natural objects such as rivers, trees,
and mountains. It is perhaps the world’s oldest religion and predates any form of organized
religion.