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