vocabulary
define a stele
what is a carved stone slab or pillar that stands on one end
which people invented the alphabet
what is the Phoenicians
which two land features gave Mesopotamia its name
what is the Euphrates and Tigris river
who became the king of babylon
what is Nebuchanezzer
define cuneiform
what is a system of writing that uses triangular-shaped symbols to stand for ideas or things
who served a role between the Sumerians and there gods
what is priests
why is Mesopotamia a good location for growing crops
what is rich soil
what dud Cyrus do
he defeated lydia
define polytheism
what is the belief in more than one god
why did Sargon conquer Sumer
what is city-states constant fighting with each other made them weak
define cultural diffusion
what is the spreading of cultural traits from one region to another
what happened under Persian rule
created a common currency/money
define a standing-army
what is a permanent army of professional soldiers
why could people become artisans
what is job specialization
what was surplus food traded for
what is other needed resources
how did Darius reform the central government
tribute system, common currency, and building roads
define export
what is a good or service produced within a country and sold outside the country's borders
why is the epic of Gilgamesh important
what is oldest known use of writing beyond record keeping -entertainment -story writing
list the eight features of civilization
1. cities 2. well organized governments 3. established religion 4. job specialization 5. social classes 6. public works 7. arts and architecture 8. writing