Paleolithic
the early part of the Stone Age (stones were rougher)
nomadic
moving from place to face, usually in search of food (opposite of sedentary)
hunter-gatherers
people who ate wild plants and animals
foragers
a person who looks for food in their surroundings
Neolithic
the later part of the Stone Age (stones were smoother)
fertile cresent
part of the Middle East around the Persian Gulf
domestication
taming animals and growing crops
sedentary
staying in one place (opposite of nomadic)
irrigation
artificial application of water to land
surpluses
more than what is needed
specialization of labor
people perform specific tasks in the community (for example, fishing, building, cooking, etc.)
stratified society
division of a society based on socioeconomic status and power
social elites
a small group of people who have a lot of power and influence
cuneiform
a system of ancient writing developed by the Sumerians
monotheism
the religious belief that there is 1 god
polytheism
the religious belief that there is more than 1 god
hieroglyphics
a system of ancient writing developed by the Egyptians
scribes
a writer; a person who writes books and documents by hand often for the government
public works
infrastructure (schools, roads, water ways, etc.) built by the community or government
cultural diffusion
spreading cultural and social beliefs from one group to another
fortifications
a defensive wall or building used to protect/defend a community
warriors
fighters
city-state
a city and its territory which forms an independent state
Sumeria
ancient civilization of souther Mesopotamia
Gilgamesh
a demigod with superhuman strength from an epic Sumerian poem; he was said to have built the city walls of Uruk
Akkad
the first ancient Semitic empire of Mesopotamia
Sargon
famous emperor of Akkad who conquered much of Mesopotamia
empire
a group of states or countries under one authority
Hammurabi
the 6th king of the First Babylonian Empire
Code of Hammurabi
law code of ancient Babylon in Mesopotamia
justice
punishment should correspond with the degree of the crime
codification
a collection or book of laws
Hittites
ancient Anatolian people, part of upper Mesopotamia
Assyrians
Christian group of Mesopotamia, descended from ancient people
Ashurbanipal
a king of Assyria that created a library
Babylon
an ancient city in Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
Nebuchadnezzar
influential king of Babylon who ruled for 22 years
Cyrus the Great
ruler of Persia, founder of the Achaemenid Empire
Darius
king of Persia/Achaemenid, he ruled during this empire's peak
Zoroaster
prophet and founder of the religion Zoroastrianism
Phoenicians
ancient civilization on the fertile crescent, known as a maritime trading culture
alphabet
a set of symbols to represent basic speech sounds
Judaism
ancient monotheistic religion; the Torah is the foundational text
Abraham
the first patriarch in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
David
the 2nd king of Israel; a warrior and a writer; important to Judaism, Christianity and Islam
Solomon
son of David, he became king of Israel; known for being very rich and building the first temple in Jerusalem; after his rule the kingdom split into the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah
Babylonian captivity
the Jews of the Kingdom of Judah were captives in Babylon; Cyrus the Great freed them so they could return to Palestine
diaspora
Jews living outside of Israel