WH VOCABULARY Flashcards
a mixture of rich soil and tiny rocks
silt
a large arc of rich, or fertile, farmland.
Fertile Crescent
a way of supplying water to an area of land.
irrigation
human-made waterways
canals
The type of arrangement in which each worker specializes in a particular task or job.
Division of Labor
or more than they needed.
surplus
countryside,
rural, or countryside,
City
Urban
consisted of a city and all the countryside around it
city-state
or land with different territories and peoples under a single rule.
empire
the worship of many gods.
polytheism
people who performed religious ceremonies
Priests
the division of society by rank or class.
social hierarchy
the world’s first system of writing.
cuneiform
or picture symbols.
pictographs
or writer
scribe
long poems that tell the stories of heroes.
epics
architecture
the science of building
a pyramid- shaped temple tower
ziggurat
land between two rivers
Mesopotamia
or strong rapids
cataracts
a triangle-shaped area of land made of soil deposited by a river.
delta
the title used by the rulers of Egypt. The title pharaoh means “great house.”
pharaoh
is a series of rulers from the same family.
dynasty
a period in Egyptian history that lasted from about 2700 BC to 2200 BC.
Old Kingdom
or people from rich and powerful families.
nobles
or life after death
afterlife
specially treated bodies wrapped in cloth.
mummies
or people of wealth and power,
elite
huge stone tombs with four triangle-shaped walls that met in a point on top.
pyramids
the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes.
engineering
a period of order and stability that lasted until about 1750 BC.
Middle Kingdom
the period during which Egypt reached the height of its power and glory.
New Kingdom
or paths followed by traders,
trade routes
Egyptian writing system or
hieroglyphics
a long-lasting, paper-like material made from reeds.
papyrus
a stone slab inscribed with hieroglyphics.
Rosetta Stone
imaginary creatures with the bodies of lions and the heads of other animals or humans
sphinxes
a tall, four-sided pil- lar that is pointed on top.
obelisk
is a large landmass that is smaller than a continent
subcontinent
seasonal wind patterns that cause wet and dry seasons.
monsoons
the most important language of ancient India.
Sanskrit
divided Indian society into groups based on a person’s birth, wealth, or occupation.
caste system
the largest religion in India today.
Hinduism
process of rebirth in a new body
reincarnation
the effects that good or bad actions have on a person’s soul.
karma
is based on the teachings of a man named Mahavira, who is believed to have been born around 599 BC.
Jainism
or the avoidance of violent actions.
nonviolence
has its roots in the teachings of the Guru Nanak, who lived in the AD 1400s
Sikhism
or going without food
fasting
the focusing of the mind on spiritual ideas.
meditation
a religion based on the teachings of the Buddha
Buddhism
or people who work to spread their religious beliefs,
missionaries
