History Chapter 2
cuneiform
"wedge-shaped" writing
Phoenicians
22 signs representing the sounds of their speech
The first empire in history
Akkadian Empire
Hammurabi remembered for
His law codes; a collection of 282 laws
The history of Egypt begins around 3100 B.C., when
Menes united Upper and Lower Egypt
theocracy
a government by divine authority
empire
a large political unit or state, usually under a single leader, that controls many peoples or territories
Unlike the leaders of other religions of the time, Jewish prophets
could not claim they alone knew the will of God, since the Jewish teachings were written down for everyone to read
Sumerians
creators of the first Mesopotamian civilization
Farming in ancient Mesopotamia resulted in an abundance of food, which
enabled civilization to emerge
Cyrus the Great showed such wisdom and compassion when he conquered Babylon that
everyone accepted him as ruler
Black Land
fertile Egyptian land
Hieratic script, a simplified version of Egyptian hieroglyphic writing, was used
for business transactions, record keeping, and the general needs of daily life
Darius
leader of the Persian Empire extended it to become the largest empire in the world
Persians
ruled by Cyrus the Great
What are the "ten lost tribes"?
scattered Israelite tribes
Hittites
the first Indo-Europeans to make use of iron
Judaism
the religion of the Israelites
Assyrians
used terror as an instrument of warfare
Which of the following elements contributed to the efficient system of communication that was crucial to sustaining the Persian Empire?
well-maintained roads and way stations that provided food, shelter, and fresh horses for the king's messengers