HIS 141 Quiz 2 Vocab - Ancient Mesopotamia

In the Code of Hammurabi, what happened to a son who struck his father?

His hand was cut off.

silt

When the Tigris and Euphrates rivers flooded, they left behind this nutrient-rich substance that farmers love.

irrigation

Bringing water from its source (usually rivers) to inland farms by way of ditches.

Marduk

Mesopotamian god who slew a huge sea monster and created the world out of her dead body.

Gilgamesh

Warrior-king of Uruk who lived sometime between 2700-2500 B.C.E., his best friend was Enkidu.

Sargon

From Akkad, he was the ruler of the first Mesopotamian empire. According to legend, as a baby, he was put into a basket by his mother and floated down the Euphrates.

cuneiform

This was the first human system of writing. It is a pictographic system that was developed by the Sumerians c. 3500 B.C.E.

Hammurabi

Ruler of the Babylonian Empire, in the 1700s B.C.E. he attempted to supply his people with standard legislation by compiling a code of rulings.

Assyrians

This people from northern Mesopotamia glorified military strength. They founded an empire and treated their captives brutally in the hopes of preventing rebellion.

Nebuchadnezzar

He was the most famous of the Neo-Babylonian rulers and reportedly had hanging gardens constructed in Babylon.

bronze

Mesopotamians developed this metal beginning in about 4000 B.C.E., it is made from copper and tin.

iron

Mesopotamians worked with this metal beginning in about 1000 B.C.E. It was less expensive and stronger than previously worked metals.

Baal Hadad

The name of this Canaanite god translates literally as "Lord Thunderer." Canaanites believed that he spoke in thunder and his weapons were lightning and storms.

Asherah

This mother goddess was represented by the Tree of Life and was initially the wife of El.

Mot

This god was called the "Swallower of the Dead." An enemy of Baal, his mouth stretched from horizon to horizon and his appetite was insatiable.

YHWH

Initially one of many Mesopotamian storm gods, this figure became THE God of the Hebrew people.

Hyksos

This Semitic people, probably the Israelites, dominated Egypt between 1700-1500 B.C.E.

Solomon

His reign marked the high point of the Israelite monarchy. He lived lavishly and engaged in long distance trading ventures and massive construction projects.

Diaspora

Greek for "dispersal" or "scattering," this term refers to what happened to the Jewish people after Assyria destroyed Israel and the Neo-Babylonians conquered Judah.

Crete

Minoans lived on this island.

Phoenicians

The greatest cultural contribution of this ancient people was the invention of a phonetic alphabet.

because humans were too noisy and the gods were unable to sleep

In the Epic of Gilgamesh why did Enlil send a flood to wipe out humanity?

Enheduanna

Daughter of Sargon, she was high priestess of Nanna and wrote poetry in praise of Ishtar.

Tyrian

Because of the expense of the dye used to make this shade of purple, it was associated with royalty in the ancient world. Hint: The term is quite close to one of the Phoenician city-states where the dye was manufactured.

Ukraine and Russia

Probably originating on the steppes in this location, Indo-Europeans migrated across most of Europe and into Asia.

Hittites

This Indo-European people settled in central Anatolia, constructed war chariots that accommodated three riders, smelted iron by 1500BCE, and after conquering Babylonia adapted Babylonian traditions for their own uses.

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