Western Asia and Egypt Flashcards
Sumerians
The creators of the first Mesopotamian civilization
city-state
The basic units of Sumerians civilization
ziggurat
A temple built atop a massive stepped tower used for worship
polytheistic
the belief in multiple gods
fertile crescent
the arc of land from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf containing rich soil
theocracy
a gov. by divine authority
empire
A large political unit controlling many states
patriarchal
male-dominancy
cuneiform
a system of writing created by the Sumerians using wedge shaped impressions in clay
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
The two rivers in which between them lies Mesopotamia
Ur, Uruk, Babylon
Main cities in Mesopotamia
Hammurabi
A king of Babylon who created a Mesopotamian kingdom
Code of Hammurabi
The very first code of law written for a society
Dynasty
A family of rulers whose right to rule is passed down
Pharaoh
An Egyptian King who was believed to rule divinely
bureaucracy
An administrative organization with officials and regular procedures
vizier
In charge of the gov. bureaucracy (2nd in command)
mummification
a process of slowly drying a dead body for preservation
hieroglyphics
a system of writing by drawing pictures
Lower Egypt
The area in the Nile Delta
Upper Egypt
The land upstream and to the south of the Nile Delta
How did geography impact Egyptian society?
Nile river flooded yearly which gave a sense of security
The Nile also unified Lower and Upper Egypt
Egypt had many natural barriers which gave protection and security
Explain the significance of the ruler’s title “Son of Re”
It showed how the Egyptians believed that the rulers have divine rule and were godly themselves
Pastoral Nomads
A group of people who moved along regular migratory routes to feed their herds and sometimes overran cities
Monothiestic
Belief in one god
Indo-Europeans
a nomadic people who used a language derived from a single parent tongue
Phoenicians
A group of people who lived on the northern Palestinian-Mediterranian coast
hitties
Created a powerful empire in western Asia
Israelites
Lived south of the Phoenicians in Palestine and were Semitic speaking, Judaism, their religion influenced the later religions of Christianity and Islam
King Solomon
A prominent Israeli king who greatly strengthened royal power, expanded the army, and encouraged trade. Also very wise.
Jerusalem
Capitol of Israel
The Divided Kingdom
After Solomon’s death, the kingdom was split into the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah
Assyrians
A Semitic speaking people who exploited the use of iron weapons to create their empire
Assyrian Empire
Extended through Mesopotamia and into Egypt and across Asia Minor
Chaldean Empire
Nebuchadnezzar was the king who made Babylonia the capitol but quickly fell to Persians
Persian Empire
The Persians were an Indo-European, nomadic people who lived in Iran.
Cyrus (“The Great”)
A Persian leader who unified the Persians’ unlike their previous sparse groups. Known for his wisdom
Darius
A Persian ruler who divided the empire into provinces and extended the empire extensively
Satrapies
The Persian province
Satrap
A Persian governor who ruled a Satrapy. In charge of collecting taxes, justice, and recruiting soldiers
The Royal Road
A road which extended and connected much of the empire
Immortals (by Persian definitions)
An elite infantry force which was called this b/c their numbers would not fall below 10,000
Monarchy
rule by king or queen
Zoroaster
The Persian religion which was monotheistic
