Southwest & Central Asia Flashcards
Alphabet
A set of letters that can be combined to form words
Arable
Land that is suitable for growing crops
Architecture
The science of building
Bedouins
Arabic-speaking nomads that live mostly in the deserts of Southwest Asia
Bible
The holy book of Judaism and Christianity
Byzantine Empire
the society that developed in the eastern Roman Empire after the west fell
Caliph
A title that Muslims use for the highest leader of Islam
Calligraphy
decorative writing
Canal
A human-made waterway
Chariot
A wheeled, horse-drawn cart used in battle
Christianity
A major world religion based on the teachings of Jesus
City-state
A political unit consisting of a city and its surrounding countryside
Cuneiform
The world’s first system of writing; it developed in Sumer
Diaspora
The dispersal of the Jewish population outside of Israel
Disciples
followers (particularly, followers of Jesus)
Division of labor
An arrangement in which each worker specializes in a particular task or job
Dryland farming
Farming that relies on rainfall instead of irrigation
Embargo
A limit on trade
Empire
Land with different territories and peoples under a single rule
Epics
long poems that tell the stories of heroes
Exodus
The journey in which Moses led his people out of Egypt
Fertile Crescent
An area of rich farmland in Southwest Asia where the first civilizations began
Five Pillars of Islam
Five acts of worship required of all Muslims
Fossil water
Water underground that is not being replaced by rainfall
Hammurabi’s Code
A set of 282 laws governing daily life in Babylon; the earliest known collection of written laws
Irrigation
A way of supplying water to an area of land
Islam
A religion based on the messages that Muhammad is believed to have received from God
Janissary
An Ottoman slave soldier
Jihad
To make an effort, or to struggle; has also been interpreted to mean holy war.
Judaism
The religion of the Hebrews (practiced by Jews today); it is the world’s oldest monotheistic religion.
Kibbutz
In Israel, a large farm where people share everything in common.
Kosher
A term used to refer to the food allowed under Jewish dietary laws; it means “fit” in Hebrew
Landlocked
Completely surrounded by land with no direct access to the ocean.
Messiah
In Judaism, a new leader that would appear among the Jews and restore the greatness of ancient Israel