SIGNIFICANT TERMS
Land between rivers
What is Mesopotamia?
Ancient kingdom and region in western Asia Minor, famous for its wealth, its capital city Sardis, its early use of coinage, and its control of major trade routes.
What is Lydia?
Founded the Achaemenid Empire.
Who is Cyrus the Great?
Symbols that represent sound instead of words
What is alphabet?
Soldiers on horseback.
What is cavalry?
A vast, intercontinental network of roads built by the Persian Achaemenid Dynasty Darius I in the 5th century BCE to facilitate communication, trade, and administration across the empire
What is Royal Road?
The world's first territorial empire, established in Mesopotamia by Sargon the Great around 2334 BCE. It united Semitic Akkadian and Sumerian speakers, governing a vast area that included parts of Mesopotamia, the Levant, and Iran.
What is the Akkadian Empire?
The god of the Assyrian nation.
What is Assur?
A historical period that followed the Bronze Age, defined by the widespread use of iron and steel for tools and weapons.
What is the Iron Age?
Persian provinces.
What is a satrapy?
Neo-Babylonian Empire conquest of the Kingdom of Judah. Many of its people were exiled to Babylon and the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed.
What is Babylonian Captivity?
This empire was an immense, multinational empire centered in modern-day Iran, known for being one of history's largest, stretching from the Balkan Peninsula to the Indus Valley, and for its sophisticated government, cultural achievements, and policy of religious tolerance.
What is the Achaemenid Empire?
Supreme god and patron deity of Babylon in ancient Mesopotamia
What is Marduk?
An ancient monotheistic religion that centers on the worship of the supreme deity Ahura Mazda and a cosmic struggle between good and evil, emphasizing a person's free will to choose "Good Thoughts, Good Words, and Good Deeds".
What is Zoroastrianism?
A two-wheeled vehicle, drawn by horses, used in ancient times for war, racing, and transport.
What is chariot?
One of the earliest comprehensive written legal systems, establishing principles of retribution, consistent proof, and consequences for crimes, and influencing subsequent legal systems.
What is Hammurabi's Code?
This empire is considered the greatest of the Mesopotamian empires due to its expanse and the development of the bureaucracy and had a fearsome army but would be conquered by Persia.
What is the Assyrian Empire?
First ruler of the Akkadian Empire.
Who is Sargon the Great?
Ancient Iran.
What is Ancient Persia?
A prosperous ancient civilization known for its mastery of seafaring, shipbuilding, extensive trade networks, and the creation of a phonetic alphabet that became the basis for many modern writing systems.
What is Phoenicia?
Listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and were a colossal maze of terraced, plant-covered architecture in Babylon, Mesopotamia.
What is Hanging Gardens of Babylon?
An ancient Indo-European people who formed a Bronze Age empire in Anatolia. At their peak, this empire was a major world power, rivaling Egypt, and was known for its advanced iron metallurgy, chariots, and a complex governmental system.
What is Hittite Empire?
The king of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, remembered primarily for his grand but ultimately failed invasion of Greece in 480 BCE.
Who is Xerxes?
The term comes from an Old Iranian word meaning "protector of the kingdom". They held significant local power, responsible for collecting taxes, maintaining law and order, and commanding local armies.
What is a satrap?
An ancient city in modern-day Iran and a ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, constructed by Darius the Great and his successors.
What is Persepolis?