Unit 2: Ancient Egypt and the Middle East

Mediterranean Sea

a body of water north of Africa.

Meroë

a city on the Nile River that became the center of Kushite culture and industry.

dynasty

a family or group that rules for several generations.

social class

a group in a society that is ranked by factors such as wealth, property, and rights.

Canaan

a land northeast of Egypt, settled by the ancient Israelites, from about 1800 B.C. to 70 A.D.

Egypt

a nation in northeast Africa, first settled around 3100 B.C.

peasant

a person who does farm work for wealthy landowners.

kandake

a powerful female leader who co-ruled Kush with her husband or sons.

social pyramid

a pyramid outline showing the positions of social classes according to their status in a society.

Jordan River

a river in southwestern Asia that flows from the Lebanon Mountains, south through the Sea of Galilee, into the Dead Sea.

pharaoh

a ruler of ancient Egypt.

Kush

a society along the Nile River, south of Egypt, from about 2000 B.C. to 350 A.D.

hieroglyph

a symbol used in hieroglyphics, a system of writing developed around 3000 B.C.

treaty

a written agreement by which two or more states agree to be peaceful.

Ramses II

an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, known as "Ramses the Great"; skilled as a military leader, and responsible of building many monuments, including the temple at Abe Simbel.

afterlife

an existence after death.

status

importance.

noble

of high birth or rank.

Hatshepsut

the first woman pharaoh of ancient Egypt.

Nile River

the longest river in the world, flowing through eastern Africa to a delta (a low triangular area where a river divides before entering a larger body of water) in northeastern Egypt.

vegetation

the plants of a place or region.

topography

the shape and elevation of surface features, such as mountains or deserts, or a place or region.