Vocabulary Flashcards for Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt

Study flashcards covering key vocabulary terms related to Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt for Exam 1.

Mesopotamia

The region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, known as the cradle of civilization.

Tigris and Euphrates

Major rivers in Mesopotamia that supported the development of ancient civilizations.

Cuneiform

The earliest known writing system, developed by the Sumerians.

Sumer

An ancient civilization in southern Mesopotamia, known for its city-states.

Sumerians

The people of Sumer, credited with many early developments in writing, architecture, and urbanization.

Ur

An important Sumerian city-state known for its ziggurat.

Sexagesimal

A numerical system based on the number 60, used by the Sumerians.

Theocracy

A form of government in which religious leaders control the state.

Protoliterate

The period in which writing began to appear before full literacy.

Akkad

An ancient civilization and empire in Mesopotamia, centered in the city of Akkad.

Akkadians

The people of Akkad, known for their contributions to Mesopotamian culture.

Ziggurat

A stepped pyramid structure built as a temple in ancient Mesopotamia.

Ishtar

The Mesopotamian goddess of love and war.

Lugal

A Sumerian term for 'king' or 'leader'.

Ensi

A Sumerian ruler or governor, often a religious leader.

Lugal-zagesi

A Sumerian king who ruled over the city-state of Umma and unified Sumer.

Sargon (of Akkad)

The founder of the Akkadian Empire, known for his military conquests.

Hammurabi

A Babylonian king known for creating one of the earliest written legal codes.

Gilgamesh

A legendary Sumerian king and the hero of the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Hittites (Hattisilus)

An ancient civilization located in modern-day Turkey, known for their early use of iron.

Kassites

A people who ruled Babylon after the fall of the First Babylonian Empire.

Kurigalzu I

A notable Kassite king of Babylon.

Kudurru

A type of boundary stone used in ancient Mesopotamia.

Mitanni

An ancient kingdom located in northern Mesopotamia.

Hieroglyphs

A writing system used in ancient Egypt consisting of symbols and pictures.

Hieratic

A simplified script derived from hieroglyphs used for religious texts.

Osiris

The ancient Egyptian god of the underworld and afterlife.

Horus

The ancient Egyptian god of the sky, often depicted as a falcon.

Isis

The ancient Egyptian goddess of magic and motherhood.

Ra (Re)

The ancient Egyptian sun god and one of the most important deities.

Ka

In ancient Egyptian belief, the spiritual essence of a person.

Maat

The ancient Egyptian concept of truth, balance, and cosmic order.

Upper and Lower Egypt

The two regions of ancient Egypt, with Upper Egypt in the south and Lower Egypt in the north.

Nile

The longest river in the world, crucial for the agriculture and civilization of ancient Egypt.

Narmer (=Menes?)

Traditionally regarded as the unifier of Upper and Lower Egypt.

Old Kingdom (Egypt)

A period of ancient Egyptian history characterized by the construction of pyramids.

Djoser

An ancient Egyptian pharaoh known for commissioning the Step Pyramid.

Imhotep

The architect of the Step Pyramid and later deified as the god of wisdom.

Pyramids

Massive structures built as tombs for pharaohs in ancient Egypt.

Khufu

A pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty known for building the Great Pyramid of Giza.

First Intermediate Period (Egypt)

A time of political instability and division in ancient Egypt.

Middle Kingdom (Egypt)

A period of revival and cultural flourishing in ancient Egypt.

Second Intermediate Period (Egypt)

A period of foreign rule and instability in Egypt, marked by the Hyksos invasion.

Hyksos

A foreign ruling class that controlled parts of Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period.

New Kingdom (Egypt)

The period of ancient Egyptian history characterized by territorial expansion.

Ahmose I

The pharaoh who expelled the Hyksos and founded the New Kingdom.

Hatshepsut

One of the few female pharaohs who ruled during the New Kingdom.

Tuthmose III

A pharaoh known for his military campaigns and expansion of Egypt.

Akhenaten

A pharaoh who introduced monotheism and worshipped the sun disk Aten.

Aten (Aton)

The sun disk that Akhenaten promoted as the sole deity.

Tutankhamun

A young pharaoh whose tomb was discovered largely intact.

Rameses II

A pharaoh known for his extensive building projects and military achievements.

Merneptah

The thirteenth son of Rameses II and a pharaoh of the New Kingdom.

Rameses III

The last great pharaoh of the New Kingdom.

Third Intermediate Period

A time of decline in ancient Egypt characterized by fragmentation.

Sea Peoples, Philistines

Groups believed to have invaded and contributed to the decline of several ancient civilizations, including Egypt.

Phoenicians

An ancient civilization known for their maritime trade and the invention of the alphabet.

Phoenician alphabet(s)

The writing system developed by Phoenicians that influenced many later scripts.

Byblos, Tyre, Ugarit

Major Phoenician cities known for trade and culture.

Aramaeans

Semitic people who became prominent in the Near East during the first millennium BCE.

Israel and Judah

Two ancient kingdoms in the southern Levant after the united monarchy.

David and Solomon

Kings of Israel known for their reigns and construction of the Temple in Jerusalem.

Hebrews/Israelites

Ancient people who followed the teachings of Yahweh, leading to Judaism.

Yahweh

The God of Israel in the Hebrew Bible.

Mosaic covenant

The agreement between Yahweh and the Israelites as outlined in the Torah.

David

The second king of Israel, known for unifying the tribes and establishing Jerusalem.

Josiah (king of Judah)

A king known for his religious reforms and the discovery of the Book of the Law.

Shoshenq I

A Libyan pharaoh known for his military campaigns in Israel.

Assyrians

An ancient civilization known for their military prowess and the expansion of their empire.

Tukulti-Ninurta I

An Assyrian king known for military campaigns and the establishment of power.

Tiglath-pileser I

An Assyrian king noted for his military conquests and administrative reforms.

Ashurnasirpal II

An Assyrian king known for his building projects and military campaigns.

Shalmaneser III

An Assyrian king recognized for his military exploits and expansion.

Tiglath-pileser III

An Assyrian king remembered for his brutal military strategies and conquests.

Sargon II

An Assyrian king known for establishing his capital at Dur-Sharrukin.

Dur-Sharrukin

The capital city established by Sargon II of Assyria.

Sennacherib

An Assyrian king known for his military campaigns and construction projects.

Esarhaddon

An Assyrian king who rebuilt Babylon and added it to the Assyrian Empire.

Ashurbanipal

An Assyrian king known for his collection of texts and establishment of libraries.

Nineveh

The capital of the Assyrian Empire, noted for its grandeur and bibliotheca.

Chaldaeans

An ancient people known as the inhabitants of Babylon during its later period.

Nebuchadnezzar II

The most famous Chaldaean king of Babylon, known for the Hanging Gardens.

Babylonian captivity

The period when the Jews were exiled in Babylon after the conquest of Jerusalem.

Nabonidus

The last king of Babylon, noted for his neglect of Babylon in favor of other pursuits.

Lydians, Croesus

An ancient civilization known for its wealth, particularly Croesus as its last king.

Persians

An ancient people from the region of modern-day Iran who built a vast empire.

Cyrus II

The founder of the Persian Empire, known for his policy of tolerance.

Cambyses II

The son of Cyrus II, known for his conquest of Egypt.

Darius I

A prominent Persian king known for administrative reforms and building projects.

Arta

A term used in ancient Persia, often associated with truth or order.

Zoroaster

The founder of Zoroastrianism, an ancient Persian religion.

Ahuramazda

The supreme god in Zoroastrianism, representing truth and order.

Ahriman

The evil spirit in Zoroastrianism, embodying chaos and falsehood.

Satraps

Governors of provinces in the ancient Persian Empire.

Royal Road

An ancient highway in the Persian Empire that facilitated trade and communication.