Book of the Dead an Egyptian book that preserved their ideas about death and the afterlife - it explains that after death the soul left the body to become part of the divine. (p.18)

Bronze Age the period in which the production and use of bronze implements became basic to society; bronze made farming more efficient and revolutionized warfare. (p. 21)






clients free men and women who were dependent on the nobility - in return for their labor they received small plots of land to work for themselves. (p. 12)

cuneiform Sumerian form of writing, (from the Latin term for "wedge-shaped") used to describe the strokes of the stylus. (p. 9)






Hyksos called "Rulers of the Uplands" by the Egyptians, these people began to settle in the Nile Delta shortly after 1800 B.C. (p. 21)






Indo-European refers to a large family of languages that includes English, most of the languages of modern Europe, Greek, Latin, Persian, and Sanskrit, the sacred tongue of ancient India. (p. 22)

irrigation the solution to the problem of arid climates and scant water supplies, a system of watering land and draining to prevent build up of salt in the soil. (p. 8)






law code a proclamation issued by the Babylonian king Hammurabi "to establish law and justice in the language of the land, thereby prompting the welfare of the people." It inflicted harsh punishments, but despite its severity, pervade with a spirit of justice and sense of responsibility. (p. 14)






monotheism the belief in one god; when applied to Egypt it means that only Aton among the traditional Egyptian deities was god. (p. 21)






Neolithic period the period between 7000 and 3000 B.C. that serves as the dividing line between anthropology and history. The term itself refers to the new stone tools that came into use at this time. (p. 6)

nobles the top level of Sumerian society that consisted of the king and his family, the chief priests, and a high palace officials. (p. 12)






Pharaoh the leader of religious and political life in the Old Kingdom, he commanded the wealth, resources and people of Egypt. (p. 18)

polytheism the worship of several gods; this was the tradition of Egyptian religion. (p. 22)

pyramid the burial place of pharaohs, it was a massive tomb that contained all things needed for the afterlife. It also symbolized the king’s power and his connection with the sun-god. (p. 19)






Sea Peoples invaders who destroyed the Egyptian empires in the late 13th century; they are otherwise unidentifiable because they went their own ways after their attacks on Egypt. (p. 25)






theocracy government ruled by a priestly order.(p. 26)