| A | B |
|---|
| hierarchy | system of ranking groups |
| ziggurat | a large, stepped platform temple in ancient Mesopotamia |
| cuneiform | ancient Middle East system of writing using wedge-shaped marks |
| codify | to arrange or set down in writing |
| criminal law | branch of law that deals with offenses against others |
| bureaucracy | system of government through departments administered by officials who follow set rules |
| barter economy | an economic system in which one set of goods or services is exchanged for another |
| money economy | an economic system in which goods and services are paid for through the exchange of a token of agreed value |
| colony | a territory settled and ruled by people from another land |
| alphabet | writing system in which each symbol represents a single basic sound |
| monotheistic | believing in one god |
| covenant | a promise and an agreement |
| patriarchal | relating to a society in which men hold the greatest legal and moral authority |
| prophet | spiritual leader who interprets God's will |
| ethics | moral standards of behavior |
| Diaspora | the spreading out of Jews beyond their historic homeland |
| cataract | waterfall |
| delta | triangular area of marshland formed by deposits of silt at the mouth of some rivers |
| dynasty | ruling family |
| pharaoh | title of the rulers of ancient Egypt |
| vizier | chief minister who supervised the business of government in ancient Egypt |
| mummification | the preservation of dead bodies by embalming them and wrapping them in cloth |
| hieroglyphics | a system of writing in which pictures represent objects, concepts, or sounds |
| papyrus | plant used to make a paper-like writing material in ancient Egypt |
| decipher | to figure out the meaning of |
