| A | B |
|---|
| afterlife | the religious belief of life after death |
| agora | a marketplace or meeting place in ancient Greece |
| agriculture | the business of producing crops |
| alliance | a formal union between nations joined in a common cause |
| ancestor | a person from whom one is descended |
| archaeology | the scientific study of life and culture of ancient peoples by excavation |
| artifact | an object made by humankind |
| artisan | worker in a skilled trade; craftsman |
| band | a small, loosely organized group of hunter-gatherers |
| barter | a system of trade by exchanging goods/services without using money |
| B.C.E. | before common era |
| bureaucracy | an organized structure of people- with one person at the top; many at the bottom |
| C.E. | common era |
| cartouche | oval or oblong figure with heiroglyphs of the rulers name |
| caste system | rigid class distinction based on birth, wealth, etc.. |
| cataract | a large waterfall |
| city-state | a self governing unit made up of a city and its surrounding villages |
| civilization | a complex society with a stable food supply, specialized labor, government and a highly developed culture |
| code | an organized set of laws |
| conquest | the defeat of a nation or group usually by force |
| consul | either of the two main elected officials of the ancient Roman Republic |
| covenant | an agreement between a group of people and their god |
| culture | the attitudes, beliefs, customs, traditions, art and achievements or a society - passed from one generation to another |
| cuneiform | wedge-shaped characters made from a reed stylus and used in ancient languages |
| decipher | to make out the meaning of ancient languages |
| delta | a triangle-shaped deposit of sediment near the mouth of a river |
| democracy | a system of government in which the people rule either directly or through elected representatives |
| Diaspora | settlements of Jews after the Babylonian exodus |
| disciple | a person who follows the teachings of a master/leader and helps spread those teachings |
| domesticate | to train/tame and animal or plant to live in a human environment making it more useful |
| dynasty | a series of rulers from the same family |
| economy | how goods and resources are allocated in a society |
| edduba | a Mesopotamian schoolhouse |
| embalm | to prevent the decay of a dead body by uding preservatives |
| empire | several nations under one leadership |
| ephors | one of five elected officials who supervised the kings of ancient Sparta |
| epic | a long narrative poem in a dignified language/style that tells a story of a hero |
| era | an event or date that marks a new or important period in history |
| excavate | the systematic digging of an area of groung to recover the archaeological record |
| famine | the wide-spread shortage of food that threatens death from starvation |
| Fertile Crescent | historical crescent shaped region in the Middle East extending from the Mediterranean Sea to the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. |
| feudalism | a system in which nobles oown the farmland and peasants work it |
| fossil | the remains or imprint of a plant or animal from a past geological age |
| fresco | to paint on wet plaster with water colors |
| gladiator | slave, captive or paid performer who fought other men/animals in an arena. |
| guild | an assoctiation of merchants/artisans who do the same work. |
| guru | a personal advisor or teacher- ex: Hinduisim. |
| helot | a state slave in acient Sparta. |
| hierarchy | a group of persons in order of rank. |
| hieroglyphics | Egyptain writing system in which picture symbles stand for words or sounds. |
| irrigation | to suplly dry lands with water by means of canals, ditches pipes and streams. |
| isolation | to set apart from others- separated |
| Lacquer | a coating substance of resinous matierial that leaves a high sheen finish- on jewelry/ pottery etc. |
| legend | a story handed down from earlier times |
| maneuver | to skillfully plan an attack. |
| meditation | deep countinued thought - solem reflection on scared matters. |
| migration | the permanent movement of people from one region to another. |
| monarchy | government in which a knig, queen or emperor is the sole and absolute ruler. |
| monotheism | the belief in one god |
| monsoon | a wind system affecting the climate of India |
| mummification | the process of embalming a dead body by ancient Egyptians |
| myth | a traditional story about the origins of people, gods and heroes |
| nobility | a class of people having high rank or birth |
| nomads | a group of people who move with flocks and herds as the seasons change to find food/water |
| obelisk | a tall four-sided stone pollar that tapers to a point like a pyramid |
| oligarchy | system of government in which a few people rule |
| oracle | prediction about the future given by a person who speaks for the gods/ancestors |
| oral traditioin | legends, myths and beliefs passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth |
| papyrus | paper like material made from the long thin reeds of the Nile |
| patricians | member of the small class of wealthy families of ancient Rome |
| pharaoh | ruler of ancient Egypt |
| philosopher | a person who seeks wisdom through intellectual needs and moral discipline |
| pictograph | picture that stands for words or ideas |
| plague | highly contagious, widespread disease that is often fatal |
| plebeians | ancient Rome; large class of common people |
| polytheism | the belief in many gods |
| prehistory | the period of history before the written word |
| prophet | a person who expresses and explains the will of god |
| province | a territory governed as a unit within a country or empire |
| rabbi | leader of a Jewish congregation |
| reincarnation | the belief in another life, after death, in another and different bodily form |
| republic | a nation in which political power lies with the citizens, who elect leaders and representatives |
| ritual | a ceremony or religious custom |
| sanctuary | a place of worship such as a church, temple or mosque |
| scribe | a professional writer or record keeper |
| senate | the supreme council of state of the republic and later of the empire |
| social class | the idea of a society being divided into levels based upon birthright, wealth or occupations |
| stylus | wedge-shaped tool for writing cuneiform |
| surplus | an extra amount; more than is needed |
| synagogue | a building or meeting place for Jewish worship or instruction |
| technology | the tools, machines and methods used to make products, improves peoples' lives |
| terra cotta | a hard, brown-red, unglazed earthenware used for pottery or sculpture |
| tomb | a chamber or grave for the dead |
| tragedy | a series drama in which the hero is brought to defeat by a character flaw |
| tribute | a gift or payment to show respect or payment |
| tripartite | government in which three parties share equal power |
| tyranny | unjust government by an absolute ruler; cruel and unjust treatment |
| Vedas | the four ancient sacred books of Hunduism - consisting of hymns, chants and sacred formulas |
| unification | to combine into one; make united |
| ziggurat | a temple/tower of the ancient Babylonians-in the form of terraced pyramid |
