Mesopotamia
valley between Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Fertile Crescent
an arc of land form the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf with rich soil and abundant crops
silt
materials deposited by the two rivers that helped to enrich the soil
Sumerians
creators of the first Mesopotamian civilization
polytheistic
belief in many gods-humans were supposed to obey and serve the gods
Uruk
city originated by Sumerians people; encircled by a six mile long wall; one of the largest city states
city states
the basic units of Sumerian civilization
ziggurat
massive stepped tower where the temple was often built atop
theocracy
a government by divine authority
cuneiform
wedge-shaped"-system of writing using a reed stylus, they made wedge-shape impressions on clay tablets, which were then backed and dried in the sun
scribe
job that boys in Mesopotamia had to become to have a successful career
Gilgamesh
epic poem that records the exploits of a legendary king who was part man and part god
Akkadians
spoke the Semitic language and were to the north of the Sumerian city states
Sargon
leader of the Akkadians that over ran the Sumerian city-states and set up the first empire
empire
large political unit or state usually under a single leader, that controls many peoples or territories
Babylon
city state that was South of Akkad
Hammurabi
came to power and had control of Sumer and Akkad-creating a new Mesopotamian kingdom; had a collection of laws that provided great insight into social conditions
Code of Hammurabi
based on a system of strict justice; penalties for criminal offenses were sever and they varied according to the social class of the victim
patriarchal
society in which men dominated the society; women had fewer rights in marriage than did men
Nile River
river that played an important role in Egyptian civilization; called it the "creator of all good" in its ability to bring them food and other riches-also provided a sense of well-being and comfort to Egyptians
Nile River
begins in the heart of Africa and course northward for more than 4000 miles; longest river in the world
Nile Delta
delta that is in lower Egypt; the land upstream
Upper Egypt
to the south of the Nile Delta
religion
provided the Egyptians with a sense of security and timelessness; represented an inseparable part of the entire world order-they were polytheistic
sun
source of life and was worshiped; Re was the god named after this
Osiris
god that became a symbol of resurrection, or rebirth-gave hope to Egyptians hope to gain a new life after death
Menes
king that united Upper and Lower Egypt into a single kingdom and created the first royal dynasty
dynasty
a family of rulers whose right to rule is passed on within the family
Old Kingdom
lasted from 2700 b.c to 2200 b.c. was an age of prosperity and splendor; the monarchs in this age were powerful rulers over a unified state
pharaoh
meaning "great house" or "palace" became the most common Egyptian monarch in the Old Kingdom age
absolute power
power in which the ruler had complete, unlimited power to rule their people
bureaucracy
an administrative organization with officials and regular procedures
vizier
steward of the whole land and was in charge of the government bureaucracy
pyramids
built as part of a larger complex of buildings dedicated to the dead; the city of the dead
ka
the spiritual body of a human being that Egyptians believed; could continue to live despite the death of the physical body
mummification
the process of slowly drying a dead body to prevent it from rotting;process took about 70 days and then was placed in tomb
Giza
place where the largest pyramid, The Great Pyramid, was built under King Khufu which covered 13 acres
Great Sphinx
guards the Great Pyramid; it had the body of a lion and a human head
Middle Kingdom
when new dynasty gained control of all Egypt and was a period of stability lasting from 2055 b.c and 1650 b.c; golden age of stability
Hyksos
invaded Egypt around 1650 b.c used horse drawn chariots to overwhelm the Egyptians soldiers who fought from donkey carts
New Kingdom
age from 1550 b.c to 1070 b.c in which Egypt created an empire and became the most powerful state in Southwest Asia
Hatshepsut
one of the first women to become pharaoh and built a great temple at Deir el-Bahri near Thebes
Aten
god of the sun disk; as the sole god
Amenhotep
changed his name to Akhenaten and closed the temples of other gods
Tutankhamen
restored the old gods that Amenhotep changed
Cleopatra VII
female pharaoh tried to reestablish Egypt's independence; led to her defeat an suicide and Egypt became a province in Rome's empire
hieroglyphics
priest-carvings" or "sacred writings
hieratic script
simplified version of hieroglyphics that used dashes, strokes, and curves to represent writing
pastoral nomads
occasionally settled communities and then created their own empires; domesticated animals for food and clothing
Indo Europeans
one of the most important nomadic peoples; spoke a language derived from a single parent tongue; includes Greek, Latin, Persion, Sanskrit, and the Germanic languages
Hittites
created an empire between 1600 b.c and 1200 b.c in western Asia and threatened the power of the Egyptians; were the first Indo-Europeans to use iron
Phoenicians
lived in the area of Palestine along the Mediterranean coast on 120 miles of narrow land; produced a number of goods for foreign markets, including purple dye, glass, and lumber
ships
Phoenicians built these which helped them become great international sea traders
Israelites
lived to the south of the Phoenicians ; had religion known as Judaism
King David
ruled from 1010 b.c to 970 b.c
Jerusalem
became the capital of Israel
King Solomon
expanded the government and army and encouraged trade; built a temple in Jerusalem
monotheistic
believing in one God
Assyrians
Semitic-speaking people who exploited the use of iron weapons to establish an empire by 700 b.c; ruled by kings whose power was seen as absolute; established system of communication to deliver letters
Nebuchadnezzar
the Chaldean king that made Babylonia the leading state in western Asia; built Babylon as the center of his empire and gave it a reputation as one of the greatest cities of the ancient world
Persians
Indo-Europeans who lived in what is today southwestern Iran; primarily nomadic
Cyrus
created a powerful Persian state that stretched from Asia Minor to India and captured Babylon; "the Great
Darius
ruled from 521 b.c to 486 b.c, added a new Persian province in western India
satrapies
provinces that Darius divided the empire
Royal Road
stretched from Lydia to Susa, the empire's chieft capital
monarchy
ruled by a king or queen
polygamous
had many wives
Zoroastrianism
the Persian' religion
Zoroaster
prophet of the "true religion
Mesopotamia
valley between Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Fertile Crescent
an arc of land form the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf with rich soil and abundant crops
silt
materials deposited by the two rivers that helped to enrich the soil
Sumerians
creators of the first Mesopotamian civilization
polytheistic
belief in many gods-humans were supposed to obey and serve the gods
Uruk
city originated by Sumerians people; encircled by a six mile long wall; one of the largest city states
city states
the basic units of Sumerian civilization
ziggurat
massive stepped tower where the temple was often built atop
theocracy
a government by divine authority
cuneiform
wedge-shaped"-system of writing using a reed stylus, they made wedge-shape impressions on clay tablets, which were then backed and dried in the sun
scribe
job that boys in Mesopotamia had to become to have a successful career
Gilgamesh
epic poem that records the exploits of a legendary king who was part man and part god
Akkadians
spoke the Semitic language and were to the north of the Sumerian city states
Sargon
leader of the Akkadians that over ran the Sumerian city-states and set up the first empire
empire
large political unit or state usually under a single leader, that controls many peoples or territories
Babylon
city state that was South of Akkad
Hammurabi
came to power and had control of Sumer and Akkad-creating a new Mesopotamian kingdom; had a collection of laws that provided great insight into social conditions
Code of Hammurabi
based on a system of strict justice; penalties for criminal offenses were sever and they varied according to the social class of the victim
patriarchal
society in which men dominated the society; women had fewer rights in marriage than did men
Nile River
river that played an important role in Egyptian civilization; called it the "creator of all good" in its ability to bring them food and other riches-also provided a sense of well-being and comfort to Egyptians
Nile River
begins in the heart of Africa and course northward for more than 4000 miles; longest river in the world
Nile Delta
delta that is in lower Egypt; the land upstream
Upper Egypt
to the south of the Nile Delta
religion
provided the Egyptians with a sense of security and timelessness; represented an inseparable part of the entire world order-they were polytheistic
sun
source of life and was worshiped; Re was the god named after this
Osiris
god that became a symbol of resurrection, or rebirth-gave hope to Egyptians hope to gain a new life after death
Menes
king that united Upper and Lower Egypt into a single kingdom and created the first royal dynasty
dynasty
a family of rulers whose right to rule is passed on within the family
Old Kingdom
lasted from 2700 b.c to 2200 b.c. was an age of prosperity and splendor; the monarchs in this age were powerful rulers over a unified state
pharaoh
meaning "great house" or "palace" became the most common Egyptian monarch in the Old Kingdom age
absolute power
power in which the ruler had complete, unlimited power to rule their people
bureaucracy
an administrative organization with officials and regular procedures
vizier
steward of the whole land and was in charge of the government bureaucracy
pyramids
built as part of a larger complex of buildings dedicated to the dead; the city of the dead
ka
the spiritual body of a human being that Egyptians believed; could continue to live despite the death of the physical body
mummification
the process of slowly drying a dead body to prevent it from rotting;process took about 70 days and then was placed in tomb
Giza
place where the largest pyramid, The Great Pyramid, was built under King Khufu which covered 13 acres
Great Sphinx
guards the Great Pyramid; it had the body of a lion and a human head
Middle Kingdom
when new dynasty gained control of all Egypt and was a period of stability lasting from 2055 b.c and 1650 b.c; golden age of stability
Hyksos
invaded Egypt around 1650 b.c used horse drawn chariots to overwhelm the Egyptians soldiers who fought from donkey carts
New Kingdom
age from 1550 b.c to 1070 b.c in which Egypt created an empire and became the most powerful state in Southwest Asia
Hatshepsut
one of the first women to become pharaoh and built a great temple at Deir el-Bahri near Thebes
Aten
god of the sun disk; as the sole god
Amenhotep
changed his name to Akhenaten and closed the temples of other gods
Tutankhamen
restored the old gods that Amenhotep changed
Cleopatra VII
female pharaoh tried to reestablish Egypt's independence; led to her defeat an suicide and Egypt became a province in Rome's empire
hieroglyphics
priest-carvings" or "sacred writings
hieratic script
simplified version of hieroglyphics that used dashes, strokes, and curves to represent writing
pastoral nomads
occasionally settled communities and then created their own empires; domesticated animals for food and clothing
Indo Europeans
one of the most important nomadic peoples; spoke a language derived from a single parent tongue; includes Greek, Latin, Persion, Sanskrit, and the Germanic languages
Hittites
created an empire between 1600 b.c and 1200 b.c in western Asia and threatened the power of the Egyptians; were the first Indo-Europeans to use iron
Phoenicians
lived in the area of Palestine along the Mediterranean coast on 120 miles of narrow land; produced a number of goods for foreign markets, including purple dye, glass, and lumber
ships
Phoenicians built these which helped them become great international sea traders
Israelites
lived to the south of the Phoenicians ; had religion known as Judaism
King David
ruled from 1010 b.c to 970 b.c
Jerusalem
became the capital of Israel
King Solomon
expanded the government and army and encouraged trade; built a temple in Jerusalem
monotheistic
believing in one God
Assyrians
Semitic-speaking people who exploited the use of iron weapons to establish an empire by 700 b.c; ruled by kings whose power was seen as absolute; established system of communication to deliver letters
Nebuchadnezzar
the Chaldean king that made Babylonia the leading state in western Asia; built Babylon as the center of his empire and gave it a reputation as one of the greatest cities of the ancient world
Persians
Indo-Europeans who lived in what is today southwestern Iran; primarily nomadic
Cyrus
created a powerful Persian state that stretched from Asia Minor to India and captured Babylon; "the Great
Darius
ruled from 521 b.c to 486 b.c, added a new Persian province in western India
satrapies
provinces that Darius divided the empire
Royal Road
stretched from Lydia to Susa, the empire's chieft capital
monarchy
ruled by a king or queen
polygamous
had many wives
Zoroastrianism
the Persian' religion
Zoroaster
prophet of the "true religion