The Ancient World: Chapter 2 {Vocabulary Terms}

scribe

scribe

a professional writer

*They were the only people in the land (Sumer) who could keep the records for the kings and priests.

Fertile Crescent

a region in Southwest Asia; site of the first civilizations

city-state

each city acted as state with its own special god or goddess, its own government, and eventually, its own king.

polytheism

the belief in many gods

myth

a traditional story; in some cultures a legend that explains people's beliefs

empire

many territories and peoples controlled by one government

Babylon

the center of the Babylonian empire; a city of great wealth and luxury

Nebuchadnezzar

king of the new Babylonian empire. He rebuilt the city of Babylon, which the Assyrians destroyed.

*He put up massive walls around the city for protection and also built a gigantic palace.

caravan

a group of travelers journeying together

bazaar

market selling different kinds of goods

code

organized list of laws and rules

Hammurabi

the king of Babylonian empire

Hammurabi's Code

contained 282 laws organized in different categories, which told the people of Babylon how to settle conflicts in all areas of life.

*This code was based on the idea, "an eye for an eye."

cuneiform

groups of wedges and lines used to write several languages languages of the fertile crescent

alphabet (Phoenician)

a set of symbols that represent the sounds of a language

*The Phoenicians just used 22 symbols.

monotheism

the belief in one god

famine

a time when there is so little food that many people starve

exile

to force someone to live in another country

covenant

binding agreement

*The Israelites believed that God had made a binding agreement with Abraham.

Moses

he renewed the covenant and he told the Israelites that God would lead them to Canaan (the promised land).

prophet

a religious teacher who is regarded as someone who speak for god or for a god

diaspora

the scattering of people who have a common background or beliefs.

*The Romans drove the Israelites out of their homeland and as a result, Israelites were scattered to different parts of the world.