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| Fertile soil and significant rivers dating back to prehistoric times forming a crescent from the Nile River to the Tigris and Euphrates and ending in the Persian Gulf. This is the area where the start of civilization occurred in the Middle East. The Sumerians inhabited the southern part of the Fertile Crescent around 5,000 BCE. |
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| A group of people who lived on the southern part of the Fertile Crescent who shaped the Bronze Age into history and lived in Sumer which is now Southern Iraq. They moved into Mesopotamia around 4000 BCE and they were increasing in population very fast making them one of the first civilizations known to us today. They built many cities, one of them being Ur. |
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| An ancient form of picture writing that originated in Mesopotamia and was created by the Sumerians. It was usually written on clay tablets. |
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| A large temple with steps close to the shape of a pyramid that was built on a platform. These were built in Mesopotamia and usually had a temple at or near the top. |
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| This may be one of the oldest written fictional stories in history. It is written in cuneiform by Sumerians on 12 tablets and is mainly about the life of the King of Uruk. |
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| King Solomon was the son of King David and he built the first temple in Jerusalem. He is said to be a prophet in the Qur’an and a King in the Hebrew Bible. He reigned in the 900s BCE. |
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| A famous Greek Poet who is known to have written the Iliad and the Odyssey, which are two ancient Greek epics that still have a profound effect on our society today. Historians now wonder whether this man ever even existed. |
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| A temple that the Greeks built to protect the massive statue of the goddess Athena. It is one of the only still standing buildings from ancient Greece and was originally built in the 5th century BCE. |
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| Translated “city-state”. Basically the city and its nearby areas in Greek history. There were citizens of poleis and they belonged only to their individual polis. Citizens were also required to participate in their poleis. |
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| A well known leader of Athens who reigned for 40 years. He lead the civilization through several wars and the time through which he had power was called the Age of Pericles. |
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| A Greek philosopher who was a student of Plato. His philosophy endures to this day and has shaped many beliefs to this day. He wrote about the physical nature of the universe and was for a constitutional government. |
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| A very important Greek philosopher who was a student of Socrates and the teacher of Aristotle. He established the Academy in Athens to further future generations’ academic studies. |
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| The largest city in Greece and had a very powerful civilization. Famous philosophers were born there such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. It is also known to be where democracy first started. |
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| A Greek king of Macedon who defeated the Persians and conquered all of their land. He encouraged the Hellenistic Culture throughout his growing empire and was known to blend Greek and Persian cultures together. |
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| A major Roman leader who transformed the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire and declared dictatorship, which was not normal for the Romans. A group led by Brutus then shortly thereafter assassinated him. |
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| The first Roman Emperor to acknowledge Christianity and make it an accepted religion. He generously helped the Christians by returning them their property that was lost in earlier years. He also moved the capital of Rome and called it the New Rome or Byzantine. |
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| A very well preserved temple in Rome (built in 27 BCE) that was constructed for the Gods. It was one of the only temples not destroyed by the barbarians. |
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| A religion that originated in the seventh century after the Islamic prophet Mohammed encouraged it. Islam has similarities with Judaism in that it acknowledges the Jewish prophets such as Moses and Abraham. The Quran is based of when Mohammed heard God’s words through an angel named Gabriel. After this event he proclaimed that there was only one god. Islam spread soon after. |
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| The Muslim prophet who heard the words of God, which are written in the Quran. He was born in 570AD and died in 632AD. After his death Islam spread rapidly as his successors conquered land and spread the teachings of Islam. |
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| The holy city for Muslims. It is where Mohammed was born and is where he heard God’s words. Muslims always pray facing the Ka’aba 5 times a day (the Ka’aba is in Mecca). |
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