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dynasty a ruling family pharaohs Egyptian kings vizier chief minister in ancient Egypt hieroglyphics a form of picture writing developed by the ancient Egyptians ideograms pictures that symbolize an idea or action hierarchy a system of ranks ziggurat a pyramid like temple built by Sumerians cuneiform a type of writing developed by the Sumerians alphabet a type of writing in which letters represent spoken sounds Code of Hammurabi a set of laws developed around 1800 bce in Babylon Ten Commandments a set of laws that Jews believe God gave them through Moses Torah first five books of the Old Testament Zoroastrianism system of religion founded in Persia in the 6th century BC by Zoroaster Phoenicians people who lived on the coast of the Mediterranean in present day Lebanon and Syria who became sea traders monotheistic belief in one god polytheistic belief in many gods Aryan group of Indo-Europeans who migrated into South Asia around 1500 bce brahman spiritual power that resides in all things Vedas collection of prayers, hymns, and other religious teachings from the Aryans karma the actions of a person's life that affect his or her fate in the next life reincarnation rebirth of the soul in another bodily form moksha union of brahman atman the essential self of every person that seeks union with brahman dharma religious and moral duties of an individual ahmisa both the avoidance of violence toward other life-forms and an active sense of compassion toward them. nirvana union with the universe and release from the cycle of rebirth filial piety respect for parents caste system a set of rigid social categories that determined not only a person's occupation and economic potential, but also his or her position in society analects a collection of the sayings of Confucius Tao the way