Ancient Middle East and Egypt (3200 B.C. – 500 B.C.)

Ancient Middle East and Egypt (3200 B.C. – 500 B.C.)

• Fertile Crescent: Region in the Middle East where civilizations first developed.
• Mesopotamia: Region within the Fertile Crescent, located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
• Sumer: Site of the world's first civilization, located in southeastern Mesopotamia.
• The Epic of Gilgamesh: Mesopotamian narrative poem, first told orally in Sumer.
• Hierarchy: System of ranking groups.
• Ziggurat: Large, stepped platform in ancient Mesopotamia, likely topped by a temple dedicated to a city's chief god or goddess.
• Cuneiform: System of writing in ancient Middle East using wedge-shaped marks.
• Sargon: Ruler of Akkad, who conquered neighboring city-states of Sumer.
• Hammurabi: King of Babylon, who expanded Mesopotamian control, improved irrigation, established a strong army, and repaired temples.
• Codify: To arrange or set down in writing.
• Civil Law: Branch of law dealing with private rights and matters.
• Criminal Law: Branch of law dealing with offenses against others.
• Nebuchadnezzar: Second king who ruled Babylon.
• Barter Economy: Economic system where goods or services are exchanged for other goods or services.
• Money Economy: Economic system where goods or services are paid for using a token of agreed value.
• Zoroaster: Persian thinker who lived around 600 B.C., rejecting old Persian gods and teaching a single wise god, Ahura Mazda.
• Colony: Territory settled and ruled by people from another land.
• Alphabet: Writing system where each symbol represents a single basic sound.
• Cataract: Waterfall.
• Delta: Triangular area of marshland created by river deposits at the river mouth.
• Dynasty: Ruling family.
• Pharaoh: Title of rulers of ancient Egypt.
• Bureaucracy: System of government with multiple officials.
• Vizier: Chief minister in ancient Egypt.
• Hatshepsut: First female pharaoh who ruled with full authority.
• Thutmose III: Great military leader who expanded Egypt's borders.
• Ramses II: Pharaoh of the New Kingdom, ruled for 66 years.
• Amon-Re: Principal god of ancient Egypt.
• Osiris: Egyptian male god.
• Isis: Egyptian female god, known for love and jealousy.
• Akhenaton: Pharaoh who changed the Egyptian religion to focus on the sun god Aten.
• Mummification: Preserving dead bodies through embalming and wrapping in cloth.
• Hieroglyphics: System of writing in ancient Egypt that used pictures to represent objects, concepts, or sounds.
• Papyrus: Plant used to create writing material in ancient Egypt.
• Decipher: To determine the meaning of a code or language.
• Rosetta Stone: Stone monument with the same passage written in hieroglyphics, demotic script, and Greek, used to decipher hieroglyphics.
• Monotheistic: Believing in one god.
• Torah: The most sacred text of the Hebrew Bible (first five books).
• Abraham: Mesopotamian who migrated to Canaan and is considered the father of the Israelites.
• Covenant: Binding agreement, especially between God and Abraham.
• Moses: Israelite who led his people out of Egypt.
• David: Second king of Israel, united tribes.
• Solomon: David's son, built an impressive capital city in Jerusalem.
• Patriarchal: Relating to a society where men hold greater authority.
• Sabbath: Holy day of rest and worship.
• Prophet: Spiritual leader who interprets God's will.
• Ethics: Moral standards of behavior.
• Diaspora: Spreading of the Jews beyond their homeland.

Test your knowledge on the ancient civilizations of the Fertile Crescent and Egypt. Explore key figures, cultural developments, and significant events that shaped the early world. Dive into topics like Mesopotamia, Sumer, and the legal contributions of Hammurabi.