 | Term | Definition |
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civilization |
one form of culture (includes the growth of cities, specialized workers, writing, advanced technology, and complex institutions) |
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bronze |
mixture of copper and tin. harder than pure copper, and more useful for tools and weapons |
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institutions |
long lasting patterns of organization in a community, (a key trait of civilization) |
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irrigation (ditches) |
were dug by Sumerians. they carried river water to their fields |
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city-state |
each city and its surroundings |
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barter |
no use of actual money. estimation of other products like grain (way of trade) |
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ziggurat |
"mountain of god" massive three-tiered structure |
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fertile-crescent |
was an area to plant and grow crops. rich soil |
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mesopotamia |
"land between the rivers"; land between the Tigris and Euphrates |
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sumer |
homeland of the Sumerians. in the southern part of Mesopotamia. city nor country. collection of seperate cities w/ a common way of life |
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empire |
a state in which the ruler also controls other lands |
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colony |
settlements controlled by the Phoenicians (founded them on almost every mediterranean island) |
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covenant |
a promise (that the Jews believed the commandments formed between god and the Jewish people) |
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prophets |
religious teachers that believe that they were messengers sent to reveal gods will to the Jews |
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ethical monotheism |
the prophets emphasis on proper conduct |
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babylonians |
first ones to use Hammurabi's Code. their homeland was the capital of the 1st empire |
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Hammurabi |
successful general, conquered all of Mesopotamia. created one of the world's first empires. created a single, uniform code to unify the diverse groups within his empire |
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Phoenicians |
invented the first alphabet (found a way to keep records using 22 symbols, instead of 600 symbols [cuneiform]). most powerful traders and merchants around the mediterranean sea. founded trading colonies. |
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Jews |
monotheism. later slaves to the Egyptians (moses led them out of slavery) |
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Abraham |
first Jew (with his family) in Canaan (Palestine) |
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Canaan |
Palestine; the land Jews believed god had promised them. drought and famine caused the Jews to leave Canaan and go to Egypt |
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Moses |
led Jews out of Egypt. recieved the ten commandments. |
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Israel |
the Jewish peoples kingdom, the northern part of Canaan |
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Solomon |
came after Saul and David all 3 of these kings united the Jews. led the Jews to victory in Canaan (kingdom of Israel, capital Jerusalem), built the holy temple |
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Jerusalem |
capital of the Jewish peoples kingdom of Israel |
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constellation |
a group of stars (that the Babylonians used to mark the beginning of a new month on the Chaldean calendar) |
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Jerusalem |
capital of the Jewish peoples kingdom of Israel |
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constellation |
a group of stars (that the Babylonians used to mark the beginning of a new month on the Chaldean calendar) |
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astronomy |
the study of matter in outer space. the chaldeans' observations formed the basis for it |
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satrap |
the governer of each province of the Persian empire |
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assyria |
had the most disciplined army the world had seen yet. capital was Ninevah (largest city of its day, held the worlds largest library). people of it were cruel, which was the cause of its fall |
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Assurbanipal |
one of the last Assyrian kings. spread Assyrian power, but it was spread too thin. 21 years after his death, Nineveh fell |
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chaldeans |
assyrian enemies, defeated assyrians after ninevah's downfall, and made Babylon their capital, believed the starts determined human destiny, their observations formed the basis for both astronomy and astrology |
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Babylon |
became the center of an empire again under chaldean rule, had great beauty (king's palace), highest building their was a seven tiered ziggurat |
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Nebuchadnezzar |
chaldean king in Babylon, had amazing palace (hanging gardens of Babylon--won admiration of Greek visitors, who listed the garden as one of the Seven Wonders of the World), took conquered groups from their homelands and sent them to another part of the empire (conquered the Jews) |
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Iran |
the plateaus and mountains of this land were the homeland of the persians |
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Persians |
homeland was Iran, ruled by Cyrus then Darius |
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Cyrus |
king of the Persians, defeated several neighboring kingdoms until all of the Fertile Crescent and most of Asia Minor was conquered, generosity (no looting or burning) toward conquered peoples (big reason for success), Babylon opened its gates to him, allowed Jews go back to Jerusalem |
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Darius |
Cambyses' (Cyrus's son) successor, member of the Ten Thousand Immortals (Persian soldiers), extended Persian conquests in the east, divided Persian empire into 20 provinces, appointed an army leader and a tax collector for each province, sent inspectors known as the "King's Eyes and Ears" to all part of kingdom to avoid rebelions, used excellent road system and standardized coinage |
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Zoroaster |
thought of an answer to why there was so much evil in the world--2 spiritual armies fight for possession of a person's soul, soul would be judged according to what side they chose, belief in heaven in hell was more hopeful than Sumer's gloomy vision of the afterlife |
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