It is up to individual teachers to decide which of the following terms to present to students. Teachers should base this decision upon students' prior knowledge about the concepts and content of the topic. Ancient civilizations Groups of people of the past who had a highly developed technology and culture. The study of the past through analysis and dating of artifacts found at historical sites. Artifacts Material items that can be connected to a particular culture, at a particular time in history.
Artifacts provide data about the past.
Cyclical Time Measuring time according to natural phenomena such as the Earth's rotation and positions of the sun and the moon. Measuring according to cycles reflects an attempt to live in harmony with nature. The civilization of a given people at or over a given time. It is described by its customs, arts and technologies, and by the way the people live and work. It is the way that most societies measure time at the personal level, the historical level and the geological level.