Glossary: Local History

Published: 12 Oct 2011
Updated: 20 Jul 2026

Account	A record or description of past events.
Archaeology	The study of pre-historic people and their culture.
Banished	Forced to leave a place as a punishment.
Colonialist	Someone who believes in colonialism, which is the use of a weaker country's resources by a stronger country to make itself stronger.
Coral reefs	A ridge close to the surface of the sea that is made up of the skeletons of small sea creatures.
Custom	An activity or action that has been established for a long time.
Democracy	A political system where the citizens of a country choose their representatives by voting.
Ecosystem	A group of different elements or organisms that make up a community that interacts with its environment.
Endangered	In danger of being extinct.
Epic poems	Long, story-like poems about a person or events.
Excavated	Opened up by digging.
Exiled	Forced to leave a place as punishment.
Fossil	The remains or impression of a plant or animal that has been excavated from the ground.
Generation	All people who are roughly the same age or who are living at the same time.
Hectare	An area of 10 000 square metres.
Hominid	Humans and human-like creatures.
Iron-age	A period after the bronze-age where iron tools and weapons were used.
Lepers	People who have leprosy, which is an infectious disease that affects the nerves.
Lime	A chemical substance that burns flesh. It is obtained from heating limestone.
Lush	When something is present in great amounts.
Marsh	A wet area between land and water with grassy plants.
Microfauna	Very small animals.
Oppression	Being kept down by unfair use of authority or force or leaving a place willingly because of disagreement.
Practice	Something that is done regularly or as a habit.
Pre-historic	Something that existed before history was recorded.
Prospector	Someone who explores an area for mineral deposits.
Reciting	Give a verbal repetition of a poem that has been memorised.
Stone-age	The earliest known period of human culture. It is called the stone-age because these people used stone tools.
Tradition	Customs and beliefs that are handed down from generation to generation.

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2011, October 12). Glossary: Local History . South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ss/ref/A-0068538

South African History Online (2011) 'Glossary: Local History ', South African History Online, 12 October. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ss/ref/A-0068538 (Accessed: 22 July 2026).

South African History Online, Glossary: Local History [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ss/ref/A-0068538, (accessed 22 July 2026).

"Glossary: Local History ." South African History Online, 12 Oct. 2011, https://sahistory.org.za/ss/ref/A-0068538. Accessed 22 July 2026.

South African History Online. "Glossary: Local History ." South African History Online. October 12, 2011. https://sahistory.org.za/ss/ref/A-0068538.