Fertile Crescent Vocabulary Study Guide fertile rich as

Fertile Crescent: Vocabulary Study Guide

fertile --rich, as in soil

drought = a long period of time with no rain

scarcity • the state of not having enough of something

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

irrigation a system of transporting water to crops– this solved the problem of farming in a dry area a • led to f so surplu od fo crops/

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”

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

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