Terms & Dates - Ancient Middle East and Africa

Sumer/ Sumerian Kingdom

One of the earliest known civilizations, located in southern Mesopotamia.

Babylon/ Babylonian Kingdom

An ancient Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area in central-southern Mesopotamia.

Sargon

An ancient ruler of the Akkadian Empire, known for creating one of the first empires in history.

Akkad/ Akkadian Kingdom

An ancient empire centered in the city of Akkad, known for its Semitic language and culture.

Hammurabi

The sixth king of the First Babylonian Dynasty, known for the Code of Hammurabi, one of the earliest written legal codes.

Egyptian Kingdom

An ancient civilization located along the Nile River, known for its pyramids and pharaohs.

Amon-Ra

A major ancient Egyptian deity, considered the king of the gods and god of the sun.

Mesopotamia

An ancient region located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, known as the cradle of civilization.

Indo-European

A family of languages that includes many languages spoken in Europe and parts of Asia.

Sumerian Writing

The earliest known form of writing, developed by the Sumerians, using cuneiform script.

Ziggurat

A rectangular stepped tower, often associated with ancient Mesopotamian temple complexes.

Osiris

An ancient Egyptian god associated with the afterlife, resurrection, and fertility.

Isis

An ancient Egyptian goddess of magic, marriage, healing, and protection.

Anubis

The ancient Egyptian god associated with mummification and the afterlife.

Hathor

An ancient Egyptian goddess associated with music, dance, joy, and love.

Horace

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

pharaoh

The title used for ancient Egyptian rulers, considered both political and religious leaders.

Nubian Kingdom/ Kush

An ancient kingdom located to the south of Egypt, known for its rich resources and interactions with Egypt.

Cattle people

A term referring to nomadic groups that relied on herding cattle for their livelihood.

Ergamenes

A king of the Nubian Kingdom known for his interactions with the Egyptian pharaohs.

Priests of Amun

Religious leaders in ancient Egypt who served the god Amun and held significant power.

Meroë

An ancient city in Nubia, known for its pyramids and as a center of the Kingdom of Kush.

Assyrian Kingdom

An ancient Mesopotamian kingdom known for its powerful military and extensive empire.

Nineveh

The capital of the ancient Assyrian Empire, known for its impressive architecture and library.

Canaanites

A group of ancient people who inhabited the land of Canaan, known for their trade and city-states.

Genesis

The first book of the Hebrew Bible, detailing the creation of the world and early human history.

Exodus

The second book of the Hebrew Bible, describing the departure of the Israelites from Egypt.

Leviticus

The third book of the Hebrew Bible, containing laws and religious rituals for the Israelites.

Numbers

The fourth book of the Hebrew Bible, detailing the Israelites' journey through the wilderness.

Deuteronomy

The fifth book of the Hebrew Bible, consisting of speeches by Moses and restating the law.

Moses

A prophet in the Hebrew Bible who led the Israelites out of Egypt and received the Ten Commandments.

Abram/ Abraham

A patriarch in the Hebrew Bible, considered the father of the Israelites and a key figure in Judaism.

Sarai/ Sarah

The wife of Abraham in the Hebrew Bible, known for bearing Isaac at an old age.

Ishmael

The first son of Abraham, traditionally considered the ancestor of the Arab peoples.

Isaac

The second son of Abraham, known for being the father of Jacob and Esau.

Demon

A supernatural being often associated with evil or malevolence in various religious traditions.

Daughter of Anu

A reference to a goddess in ancient Mesopotamian mythology, often associated with war.

Lilitu

A female demon in ancient Mesopotamian mythology, often associated with storms and disease.

Ashipu

A type of ancient Mesopotamian priest who performed exorcisms and healing rituals.

Sources JPED (documentary hypothesis)

A theory in biblical criticism that proposes the Pentateuch was derived from four distinct sources.

Persian Empire

An ancient empire that was centered in Persia (modern-day Iran) and known for its vast territory.

549/550 BCE

The approximate year of the fall of the Neo-Babylonian Empire and the rise of the Persian Empire.

Cyrus the Great

The founder of the Persian Empire, known for his conquests and respect for the cultures of conquered peoples.

Zoroaster/ Zoroastrianism

An ancient Iranian prophet and the founder of Zoroastrianism, one of the world's oldest monotheistic religions.

600 BCE

The approximate time period when Zoroastrianism began to take shape as a religious tradition.

Valley of the Indus River

An ancient civilization located in present-day Pakistan and northwest India, known for its advanced urban planning.

Persepolis

The ceremonial capital of the Persian Empire, known for its monumental architecture and art.

Darius

A king of the Persian Empire known for his administrative reforms and expansion of the empire.

Royal Road

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

Oligarchy

A form of government in which power resides in a small group of individuals.

Monarchy

A form of government where a single person rules as head of state, often for life.

Democracy

A system of government in which power is vested in the people, who rule either directly or through freely elected representatives.

Achnemenes/ Achnaemenid

The dynasty that founded the Persian Empire, known for its significant rulers like Cyrus and Darius.

Seleucid

A Hellenistic state that emerged after the death of Alexander the Great, covering parts of the former Persian Empire.

330/ 238 BCE

The approximate years marking the rise and fall of the Seleucid Empire.