Key Terms 3

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Bronze Age

the period from 3500 to 1110 BCE when bronze, an alloy of copper and tin, was the preferred material for manufacturing tools and weapons

city-state

an independent political entity consisting of a city and surrounding territory that it controls

Code of Hammurabi

a list of judicial decisions that the Babylonian king Hammurabi had inscribed on stone

pillars throughout his kingdom

culture

all the ways in which members of a human society interact with one another and with their

Environment and pass these ways from generation to generation

cuneiform

a phonetic writing system based on the sounds of words and invented by the Sumerians in about 3000 BCE

Harappan

a term describing the ancient Indus Valley civilization, named for one of its largest cities and the first to be discovered by archaeologists

hieratic

a simplified form of hieroglyphics employed by Egyptian scribes for recording everyday documents such as receipts and contracts

hieroglyphics

a complex writing system developed around 3000 BCE in which written symbols represented both sounds and ideas lugal the Sumerians’ term for their ruler

monsoon

the seasonal pattern of wind and rainfall across South Asia

nomarchs

regional governors in ancient Egypt

papyrus

a type of paper Egyptians made from a common reed plant growing along the Nile

pastoralists

nomadic people who rely on herds of domesticated animals for subsistence

pharaoh

the title of the Egyptian ruler, translated as “big house”

polytheists

people who worship multiple gods, usually associated with different aspects of the natural world

social stratification

the hierarchical order of society in which people share the same level of wealth and

Status make up a distinct class or strata

specialization

a societal characteristic in which people perform specific tasks, such as farming (farmer) or

Producing tools and clothing (artisan), that contribute to the well-being of the community

ziggurat

an immense stepped tower with a flat top built of mud-brick that served as a temple in Sumerian cities