| A | B |
|---|
| bicameral | a two house system of government |
| cuneiform | the first system of writing |
| polytheistic | believing in more than one god |
| edubbas | schools that taught cuneiform to future scribes |
| patriarchy | system in which men have more power and status than women |
| barter system | economic system in which trading is done |
| Sargon I | "True King" - leader of Akkad - created world's first empire |
| Akkad | world's first empire - included all of Mesopotamia - 2300 to 2200 BCE |
| Sumer | the first civilization - located in Mesopotamia - 3500 to 2300 BCE |
| Mesopotamia | "Land between 2 rivers" |
| Fertile Crescent | Cradle of Civilization - located between the Persian Gulf and Mediterranean Sea |
| Hammurabi | ruler of Babylon - famous for creating a Code of Law |
| Hammurabi's Code | the first system of law intended to prevent the strong from oppressing the weak - posted on a stela |
| Babylon | empire in Mesopotamia which adopted Sumerian culture and language - improved society (irrigation system, tax system, and gov't housing) - 1800 to 1600 BCE |
| city-state | city and surrounding farmland |
| ziggurat | a Sumerian temple |
| wheel | Sumerian invention that aided transportation |
| irrigation | Sumerian invention that aided farming |
| empire | group of territories or nations ruled by a single ruler or government |
| deity | another term for a god or goddess |
| theocracy | government headed by religious leaders or a leader regarded as a god |
| monarchy | rule by a king or queen |
| scribe | a person skilled in writing |
| confederation | a loose allaince or union of several states or groups |
| colony | a settlement of people outside their homeland, linked with parent country by trade and direct gov't control |
| alphabet | system of symbols or characters that represent the sounds of a language |
| Phoenicians | great sailors of the Mediterranean who aided with cultural diffusion, created basis for modern alphabet, introduced bills of sale and contracts, formed colonies and sailed as far as the British Isles, influenced by Mesopotamian and Egyptian cultures |
| Hittites | conquered Babylonians, had powerful army, introduced legal system less harsh than Hammurabi's, used iron weapons and multiperson chariots, influenced by Mesopotamian and Egyptian cultures |
| hierarchy | group of people organized according to levels of rank or importance |
| cultural diffusion | the exchange of goods, ideas, and customs among different cultures |
| Assyrians | fierce military empire after the Hittites, had organized units in military, cruel to those they conquered, split empires into provinces run by governors, collected taxes to support army and built roads to improve communication |
| Chaldeans | also called Neo-Babylonians; formed an alliance with the Medes to defeat the Assyrians; re-established Babylon as a great center of trade and as a center of science; reached their peak during the rule of King Nebuchadnezzar |
| King Nebuchadnezzar | King of Babylon (Chaldeans); help rebuilt Babylon into a great city, built Ishtar Gate and Hanging Gardens (one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World); formed an alliance with the Medes by marrying the King of Medes daughter |
| Hanging Gardens of Babylon | one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, built by Nebuchadnezzar for his wife |
| Pyramids of Giza | the only one of the 7 Ancient Wonders that still exists |
| caravans | groups of traveling merchants |
| astronomers | people who collect, study, and explain facts about the heavenly bodies |
| Persians | originated in Iran around 2000 BCE; conquered the Chaldeans under Cyrus II; stretched empire from Nile to Indus (all of the Middle East) under Cambryses; reached height of their power during rule of Darius I; were defeated by the Greeks; eventually were conquered by Alexander the Great in the 300's BCE |
| Persepolis | magnificent city created to honor Darius I |
| Cyrus II | created a strong army and defeated the Chaledeans and much of the Middle East |
| Cambryses | son of Cyrus II, expanded the Persian empire from the Nile to the Indus Rivers |
| Darius I | great Persian king; a great organizer - divided empire into provinces with governors (satraps); very tolerant ruler, allowed conquered people to keep their language, religion and laws |
| satraps | governors who ruled the provinces set up by Darius I of Persia |
| Xerxes | son of Darius I of Persia; was defeated by the Greeks in a great sea battle |
| Zoroaster | prophet who encouraged a change in religion - good versus evil |
| Alexander the Great | conquered the Persians around 331 BCE |
| inspectors | served as the "Eyes and Ears of the King" for Darius I, toured the empire making unannounced visits to the provinces to make sure that government officials were doing their jobs correctly and that a rebellion was not possible |
