Ancient Middle East and Egypt/ Ancient India and China Flashcards
Traditional Economy
Relies on habit, custom, or ritual and tends not to change over time
Civilization
the stage of human social development and organization that is considered most advanced
Polytheistic
The belief in many gods
Monotheistic
The belief in a single, all-powerful god
Empire
A group of states and territories conquered by one ruler
Cultural Diffusion
Ideas, customs, and technology spread between cultures.
Scribe
Supported the government and economy by keeping important records, such as harvests and taxes.
Sumer
Where the world’s first civilization arose around 3300 B.C.
Mesopotamia
An area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers where the civilization of Sumer arose
Fertile Crescent
A region of the middle east where civilization first aroze
Hierarchy
A system of social ranking
Ziggurat
a large stepped platform thought to have been topped by a temple dedicated to a city’s chief god or goddess
Cuneiform
The earliest known form of writing, used a series of wedge-shaped marks on clay tablets
Sargon
ruler of Akkad, who conquered Sumer in about 2300 B.C. and built the first empire
Darius
Divided the empire of Babylon into provinces, each under a governor.
Zoroaster
Persian religious thinker; taught of a single wise god, Ahura
Hammurabi
King of Babylon in about 1790 B.C.; codified the laws in
his empire
Codify
To arrange or set down in writing
Civil Law
the branch of law that deals with private rights and matters such as business contracts, property, inheritance, and taxes
Criminal Law
the branch of law that deals with offenses against others,
such as robbery, assault, or murder
Phoenician alphabet
Developed our modern day alphabet, based on 22 consoant sounds
Pharoh
A ruler in ancient Egypt
Bureaucracy
a complex system of rigorous procedures governing relationships in family, religion and politics
Torah
Hebrews recorded events and laws into this, most sacred book
