| A | B |
|---|
| city-state | basic unit of Sumerian civilization |
| ziggurat | a massive stepped tower with a temple on top |
| theocracy | a government by divine authority |
| empire | a large political unit or state, usually under a single leader, that controls many people or territories |
| patriarchal | a form of society dominated by men |
| polytheistic | a belief in many gods |
| cuneiform | wedge-shaped writing system of the Summerians |
| dynasty | a family of rulers whose right to rule is passed on within the family |
| pharaoh | the most common title of Egyptian monarchs |
| bureaucracy | an administrative organization with officials and regular procedures |
| vizier | the official in charge of the government bureaucracy in ancient Egypt |
| mummification | a process of slowly drying a dead body to prevent it from rotting |
| hieroglyphics | the Greek name for the earliest Egyptian writing |
| hieratic script | a simplified version of hieroglyphics that was used for business transactions, record keeping, and the general needs of daily life in Egypt |
| pastoral nomads | nomads who domesticated animals for food & clothing |
| monotheistic | the belief in one god |
| satrapy | a province in the Persian empire |
| satrap | the governor of each province, who collected taxes, provided justice, and recruited soldiers |
| monarchy | government under the rule of a king or queen |
