| A | B |
|---|
| epic | long, poem that tells the story of a hero |
| nomad | group of people who move their flocks and herds with the change of the seasons to find water and pastures |
| polytheism | belief in more than one god |
| pictograph | picture that stands for a word or idea; picture writing |
| cuneiform | wedge-shaped writing done on clay tablets |
| scribe | professional writer or record-keeper; a person whose job is to copy documents and transcripts |
| Hammurabi | king (of Babylon) who made a code of laws |
| Gilgamesh | Sumerian king of Uruk and the hero of the first epic |
| Nebuchadnezzar | king of Babylon and conqueror of the Phoenicians, Philistines, and Hebrews |
| history | study of the past |
| empire | a nation and other nations it has conquered; a political unit often made up of several nations under one leadership |
| code | an organized set of laws or rules |
| famine | widespread shortage of food that threatens death from starvation |
| exile | enforced absence from one’s own country |
| astronomer | scientist who observes and studies the universe beyond the Earth, including the moon, planets, and stars and their motions |
| “Service to the King” | working on roads, buildings, or serving in the army as a volunteer |
| social classes | different levels that people belong |
| stylus | pointed instrument used for writing |
| family | basic unit of Sumerian society |
| invaders | people who enter an area with force |
| cylinder seal | used in Sumeria instead of a signature |
| Phoenicia | ancient country on the Mediterranean Sea north of Israel; famous for trading |
| ziggurat | a large step-pyramid temple with a flat, one-room shrine (chapel) at the top |
| Babylonia | ancient civilization existing around the time of the Assyrians; known for its wealth, power, and magnificence (greatness); Hammurabi was one of its famous kings |
| Babylon | capital city of Babylonia located near modern Bagdad in Iraq; known for its “hanging Gardens” |
| Hanging Gardens of Babylon | elaborate gardens with brick terraces; built by King Nebuchadnezzar after he married a mountain princess, hoping the gardens would make her feel at home |
| lyre | an ancient stringed musical instrument somewhat similar to a harp; often found in tombs |
| Sargon of Akkad | Mesopotamian ruler and creator of the world’s first empire |
| Assyrians | ancient civilization existing after the Sumerians which created an empire that included Egypt |
