Ancient Near East Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, historical figures, cities, and concepts from the ancient Near East lecture notes.

AD

Anno Domini.

BC

Before Christ.

BCE

Before Common Era.

CE

Common Era.

Circa (c.)

A term meaning "about" or approximately (e.g., The Battle of Kadesh c. 1274 BC).

Civilization

The stage of human development marked by urbanism, metallurgy, and writing.

Mesopotamia

A name meaning "between the rivers" located in modern-day Iraq, where historians believe the first civilization began.

Headwaters

The mountain origin points of rivers where snow melts and carries topsoil down to the land.

Uruk

The oldest city in human history, dating back to 4000 BC.

Ziggurat

A massive architectural feature found in every big ancient Sumerian city, such as the Ziggurat of Ur.

Urukagina of Lagash

A king for 8 years around 2400 BC who served as the first reformer in history by fighting corrupt tax collectors and claiming to protect widows and orphans.

Cuneiform

A system of writing developed by Sumerians c. 3500-3100 BC that used a wedge-shaped stylus to make marks on wet clay tablets; the first form of writing.

The Epic of Gilgamesh

An epic poem that is considered the first piece of literature in human history.

Enkidu

A protector of wildlife who fought Gilgamesh for 7 days over Shamat before becoming his close friend and companion.

Humbaba

A demon that attacked Gilgamesh and Enkidu, which they killed, cursing one of them to die before it expired.

Bull of Heaven

A beast sent by the god Anu to kill Gilgamesh after he rejected Ishtar; its destruction led to Enkidu's death.

Utnapishtim

The figure sought by Gilgamesh in his quest to gain eternal life following Enkidu's death.

Lapis Lazuli

A highly valued trade material only found in Pakistan and Afghanistan, demonstrating that Sumerians engaged in long-distance trade.

Standard of Ur

A Sumerian artifact from the 3rd millennium BC currently housed in the British Museum.

Great Death Pit of Ur

A giant grave containing 70+ people with indications that they were buried alive when the King died.

Debt Slavery

A system of slavery practiced by the Sumerians based on whether an individual could pay off financial debts, rather than on race.

Bronze Age

A period from 3300 BC to 1200 BC when humans began making tools and weapons of bronze (started by Hittites c. 3300 BC and Sumerians c. 3200 BC).

Akkadians

A Semitic people related to modern-day Arab and Jewish people who conquered the Sumerians and adopted cuneiform, technology, and culture.

Sargon of Akkad

The first great conqueror and founder of the 1st empire in history (reigned c. 2334-2279 BC), who expanded control from Central Turkey to the Persian Gulf.

Enheduanna

Sargon's daughter, appointed as high priestess of the Moon God, who became the first named author in human history by writing the Sumerian Temple Hymns.

Stele

A tall stone marker containing writing and stories about a ruler or culture.

Naram-Sin

An Akkadian king (reigned c. 2261-2224 BC) who called himself "King of The Four Quarters of The Universe" and declared himself a god.

Lingua Franca

A bridge language or dialect used to make communication possible between people who do not share a native language or dialect.

Amorites

A Semitic group of sheep and goat herdsmen who conquered the Sumerians and Akkadians and established Babylon as their capital.

Code of Hammurabi

The first complete legal system in human history, consisting of 282 laws covering criminal, family, real estate, and business law.

Indo-Europeans

Caucasian people who settled in Europe and India, including the Hittites who settled in Turkey.

Hattusa

The capital city of the Hittites, stretching 400 acres with buildings carved out of rock and surrounded by fortifications.

Hattusili I

The first king to unite the Hittite people, who built Hattusa and whose name means "Man of Hattusa" (reigned c. 1650-1620 BC).

Mursili I

The Hittite king who raided and plundered Babylon in 1595 BC, destroying the Old Babylonian Empire.

Suppiluliuma I

The greatest Hittite king (reigned 1344-1322 BC), who restored the empire and whose correspondence with King Tut's widow led to a 50-year war with Egypt.

Sea People

Invaders from the north who burned cities across the region, causing the sudden Bronze Age Collapse c. 1200 BC and bringing a 400-year dark age.