02 The First Civilizations Flashcards
oasis
place in the desert where there is water
silt
fertile soil left behind by floodwaters
hieroglyphics
form of writing developed by Egyptians by about 3000 BC, which used more than 600 symbols to indicate words or sounds
papyrus
writing material produced by Egyptians
kingdom
form of government headed by a king or a queen
monarchy
synonym for kingdom
pharaoh
Egyptian ruler
dynasty
family of rulers in which the right to rule passes from one generation to the next
empire
form of government in which an individual or single people rules over many other peoples and their territories
polytheism
belief in many gods
monotheism
belief in one god
caravans
groups of people traveling together for safety over long distances
scribes
governmental clerks who could read and write
mummification
process by which the body was treated with chemicals so it would remain preserved
city-state
Sumerian community that included a town or city and the surrounding land it controlled
cuneiform
wedge-shaped Sumerian writing
arch
curved structure over an opening
ziggurats
Sumerian temples that were built in layers, like a wedding cake, and that could be up to 150 feet high
cavalry
units of soldiers on horseback
barter
exchange of one commodity or service for another
money economy
economic system based on the use of money
ethical monotheism
Hebrew form of monotheism, which emphasizes ethics, or proper conduct
Menes
Egyptian ruler who united Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt into one kingdom sometime after 3200 BC
Hyksos
Asiatic people who took control of most of Egypt around 1650 BC and continued to rule for more than 100 years
Hatshepsut
Egyptian queen who ruled from 1512 BC to 1482 BC
Amenhotep IV
Egyptian pharaoh who ruled from about 1380 BC to 1362 BC and who tried to bring religious and social change to Egypt; changed his name to Akhenaton
Tutankhamen
boy pharaoh who became Egypt’s ruler after the death of Amenhotep IV
Ramses II
powerful Egyptian leader who ruled from about 1279 BC to 1213 BC
Sargon I
most powerful ruler of the Akkadian kings, who established the Akkadian empire
Hammurabi
ruler of the Babylonians who developed a collection of laws
Nebuchadnezzar
powerful and wise Chaldean ruler
Cyrus the Great
Persian ruler who led the conquest of the Fertile Crescent and Asia Minor
Darius I
ruler who extended Persian rule
Xerxes I
son of Darius who also extended Persian rule; failed to conquer the Greeks
Zoroaster
Persian prophet and religious reformer
Abraham
Hebrew leader who was promised that a great nation would come through him (through his son Isaac and grandson Jacob)
Moses
Hebrew leader who led his people out of slavery in Egypt and brought them the Ten Commandments
Saul
first king of the united kingdom of Israel
David
Hebrew king who occupied the city of Jerusalem, making it his capital and a religious center
Solomon
Hebrew king who built a great temple in Jerusalem
Mesopotamia
an ancient region of southwestern Asia in present-day Iraq, lying between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
Israel
northern kingdom after the split of Israel; comprised of 10 tribes
Judah
southern kingdom after the split of Israel; comprised of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin
Jerusalem
capital of the united kingdom of Israel
