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