Chapter 2: Western Asia and Egypt

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