Fertile Crescent: Vocabulary Study Guide

fertile --rich, as in soil

drought = a long period of time with no rain

the state of not having enough of something scarcity the state of not having enough of something

a period of time when there is not enough food for people to eat famine a period of time when there is not enough food for people to eat

led to a surplus of crops/food irrigation led to a surplus of crops/food a system of transporting water to crops– this solved the problem of farming in a dry area

surplus an extra supply

barter = to trade without using money

city-state A city and the land that surrounds it– it has its own form of government

cuneiform Sumerian system of wedge-shaped writing stylus sample writing

scribe– a professional writer They were important because they kept records of business transactions, medical texts, stories, etc.

artisans-- craftspeople

ziggurat-- a huge, pyramid-shaped temple believed to link the heavens and Earth

Polytheism vs Monotheism Polytheism = the worship of many gods Monotheism = the worship of one god

Code of Hammurabi (a set of laws established by Hammurabi) “eye for an eye” or “tooth for a tooth”

*He is known as the first Jew. Abraham *Abraham took the Hebrews out of Mesopotamia and into the holy land of Canaan. *He is known as the first Jew.

covenant– an agreement

Moses The Egyptians forced the Hebrews into slavery. Moses lead the Hebrews out of Egypt.

Ten Commandments *a set of laws that provides guidance for the worship of God and rules for moral behavior

Judaism the monotheistic religion founded by Abraham

Torah = the first five books of the Hebrew Bible

synagogue a Jewish place of worship

Ashurbanipal King of Assyria from 668 B.C. to 627 B.C. when it was at its largest and most powerful

conquest the defeat of another group

descendant a person who is born later into the same family

An organized community with established rules and traditions society An organized community with established rules and traditions

civilization—groups of people who have a complex and organized society within a culture

empire– a large territory consisting of many different places under one ruler

dynasty—a ruling family