| A | B |
|---|
| silt | a layer of rich soil |
| cataract | a waterfall |
| delta | a triangular area of marshland formed by deposits of silt at the mouth of some rivers |
| dynasty | a ruling family |
| pharaohs | Egyptian rulers |
| vizier | chief minister who supervised the business of government |
| mummification | the preservation of the dead |
| heiroglyphics | a form of picture writing developed by the Egyptians |
| demotic | a simpler form of writing for everyday use |
| papyrus | a plant used to make a paper-like material |
| hierarchy | system of social ranking (high class, middle class, low class) |
| ziggurat | a pyramid-temple built by the Sumerians |
| cuneiform | wedge-shaped writing invented by the Sumerians |
| criminal law | a branch of law that deals with offenses against others such as robbery, assault or murder |
| civil law | a branch of law that deals with private rights and matters, such as business contracts, property inheritance, taxes, marriage, and divorce |
| satrap | provinces in the Persian empire, headed by a governor |
| barter economy | exchanging one set of goods or services for another |
| Black Land | narrow band of land watered by the Nile |
| Upper Egypt | Southern section of the Nile to within a 100 miles of the Mediterranean |
| Lower Egypt | Northern delta region where Nile flows into Mediterranean |
| Menes | King who first united Upper and Lower Egypt |
| Hatshepsut | Queen of the new Kingdom who declared herself Pharaoh |
| Ramses 11 | Expanded Egyptian rule north through Syria, Palestine and Lebanon |
