| A | B |
|---|
| plateau | an area of flat land that rises above the surrounding land |
| drought | a long period of dry weather |
| Fertile Crescent | a fertile region in southern Asia that includes the region of Mesopotamia |
| Tigris River | a river in southwestern Asia that flows through the eastern part of the Fertile Crescent |
| Euphrates River | a river in southwestern Asia that flows through the southern part of the Fertile Crescent |
| Mesopotamia | land between 2 rivers |
| cuneiform | a system of writing that used wedge shaped symbols; developed in Sumer |
| city-state | a self-governing city and the lands surrounding it |
| ziggurat | a large temple |
| polytheism | the belief in many gods |
| code of law | a written set of laws that apply to everyone under the same government |
| Sargon | King of Kish |
| Hammurabi | King of Babylon |
| Sumer | earliest civilization in Mesopotamia; located in the south |
| Babylonia | an ancient Mesopotamian empire |
| Judaism | religion of Jewish people |
| Torah | first five books in the Hebrew Bible |
| monotheism | a belief in one God |
| Ten Commandments | the laws God gave to Moses |
| Sabbath | a weekly day of rest, prayer, and study |
| Diaspora | the scattering of Jews to many parts of the world |
| Abraham | Founder of Judaism; led family to Canaan |
| Moses | prophet who led Israelites out of slavery in Egypt |
| Jerusalem | ancient city in western Asia |
