Vocabulary
A region with good conditions for growing crops that stretches from the Mediterranean coast east through Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) to the Persian Gulf
Fertile Crescent
Money, something used for exchange
Currency
Why did priests play an important role in Sumerian city-states?
Sumerians believed only priests could communicate with gods to help the city prosper.
What was a tribute?
A payment made to show loyalty to a stronger power
Monotheism is the belief that...
there is only one God
Binding agreement
Covenant
Worship of many gods or deities
Polytheism
The term MESOPOTAMIA refers to land between
The Tigris and Euphrates rivers
What is a stele?
A carved stone slab or pillar
What was the Exodus?
The escape of the Israelites from Egypt
State containing several countries or territories
Empire
Idea or way of doing things that is common in a certain culture
Cultural Trait
How was Sargon and Hammurabi able to keep control of such a vast empire?
Be appointing governors, judges, and officials to rule over provinces.
How were the Phoenicians able to spread their culture over a wide area?
Phoenician sailors traded with other cities in the Mediterranean region
What are the 3 sections of the Hebrew Bible?
The Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings
An order to do something
Commandment
Trading system in which people exchange goods directly without using money
Barter
What was the largest group of people in the Babylonian Empire?
Farmers, slaves, and artisans
In the Phoenician alphabet, symbols were used to represent...
Sounds
Why do Jewish people study the Talmud and the Hebrew Bible?
Jewish communities outside the ancient Jewish homeland, from a Greek word meaning dispersion, or scattering
Diaspora
Collection of oral teachings and commentaries about the Hebrew Bible and Jewish law
Talmud
What does Rule of Law mean?
all members of society, even the rich and powerful, must obey the law
What was Darius the Great able to do while he was the ruler of the Persian Empire?
How did the Diaspora change the way Jews worshipped?