ILLUSTRATED

ENCYCLOPEDIA

ANCIE

NT

WORLDS

ISBN 978 1 7418 3767 3

9 781901 323511

Akhet One of the three seasons in ancientEgypt. It was the season when the Nileflooded, spreading tons of mud and siltacross its floodplain. This occurredbetween September and January.Akhet was also known as the “season ofthe inundation”.

Demotic The normal, everyday writingused by the Egyptians in the later years oftheir civilization.

Deshret The ancient Egyptian name forthe desert. The name means “the redland”, referring to the colour of the sand.

Emmer A type of wheat grown in ancientEgypt. It was used for making bread.

Hieratic The normal, everyday form ofwriting used by ancient Egyptians. It wasa simplified form of hieroglyphics and wasmuch quicker to use.

Hieroglyphics A form of Egyptian writing,using signs that resemble pictures.The signs themselves are known ashieroglyphs. They were used only forinscription on tombs and other o!cial orceremonial purposes.

Inundation The annual flooding of theNile. Each summer, rains upstream causedthe Nile to burst its banks, laying down afresh layer of rich, fertile earth across thefloodplain on both sides. The Egyptianslearned to irrigate the land so that it wasnot too dry or too sodden after thefloods. They dug channels between thefields to take water to fields that werefurther away from the river.

Kemet The ancient Egyptian name for thefloodplain surrounding the Nile. The namemeans “the black land”, referring to thedark colour of the floodplain’s fertile soil.It is sometimes called the Nile valley.

Nile The river that flows through thecentre of Egypt. The river flooded everyyear, providing fertile soil for farming.The river was also vital for travellingfrom place to place and for transportingheavy goods.

Nile Delta The place where the River Nileflows into the Mediterranean Sea.In ancient Egyptian times, it divided intoseven main channels and hundreds ofsmaller ones which fanned out across thelowlands. This triangular area of landresembled the shape of the Greek letter“delta”, so the region was known as theNile Delta. The lands around the Nile Deltawere fertile and an ideal place for farming.

Papyrus A reed that grows alongriverbanks and can be used to makeevery day utensils, boats and a materialfor writing on.

Peret One of the three seasons in ancientEgypt. Peret was the Egyptian winter,when the Nile’s flood waters retreated,leaving behind a layer of fertile soil.This occurred between January and May.It is sometimes known as the “season ofthe emergence”.

Reed boat A simple boat made frombundles of papyrus tied together. Reedboats had wooden paddles or long poles.

Scribe A person trained to read and writein ancient Egypt. Written records werevital to the way Egypt was governed.All government o!cials, priests, armygenerals as well as the pharaoh himself,knew how to read and write. In the cities,classes were set up for scribes. Only thesons of wealthy families went to school.

Shaduf A device for lifting water fromthe river to water the fields close by.It consisted of a pole with a bucketsuspended from one end and a heavycounterweight at the other end.A farmer would lift the bucket of water bypulling the weight.

Shemu One of the three seasons inancient Egypt. Shemu was the time ofyear when the River Nile was low and thecrops were harvested. The word shemumeans “low-water”.

Reed boat

Hunters caught wild birds using curvedsticks to stun the birds in mid-flight.

Harvesting on the banks of the River Nile in theseason of Shemu.

Formal hieroglyphs (top) and informal hieraticwriting (above)

Hieroglyphs carved into stone

In ancient Egypt, social rank wasextremely important. A person’sposition in society was closely linked

to the work he did. At the top of Egyptiansociety was the pharaoh ( 13). Beneathhim was his vizier, his high priests andpriestesses and his army generals.Then came architects, doctors, soldiersand priests. Below themwere artists andcraftworkers. At the very bottomwerethe peasants and farmers. Most Egyptianswere farmers, who farmed and fishedaround the edges of the River Nile.

! Wealthy Egyptians lived in comfortable,houses. Beds were made of wicker on awooden frame and sleepers rested theirheads on wooden headrests. Couches hadcushions stuffed with goose feathers, andtables were often highly decorated.

! The Rosetta Stone is a fragment of astone slab engraved with writing in threedifferent scripts. It was discovered in 1799and has proved vital in the understanding ofancient Egyptian writing. Because itsinscriptions were written in Greek as well ashieroglyphic and demotic scripts, FrenchmanJean-FrançoisChampollion (1790-1832) was able tocrack the code ofhieroglyphicwriting in 1824.

Fishing on the edge of the River Nile

FF AA CC TT FF II LL EE

1716

The Rosetta Stone

DDAAIILLYY LLIIFFEE IINNAANNCCIIEENNTT EEGGYYPPTT

! Covers 12 major subject areas of ancient history

! More than 200 keywords alphabetically listedand clearly explained

! Fact panels with extra information

! More than 70 detailed illustrations

! Comprehensive index

II LL LL UU SS TT RR AA TT EE DD EE NN CC YY CC LL OO PP EE DD II AA

AANNCCIIEENNTTWWOORRLLDDSS

II LL LL UU SS TT RR AA TT EE DD EE NN CC YY CC LL OO PP EE DD II AA

AANNCCIIEENNTTWWOORRLLDDSS

First published in 2012 by Orpheus Books Ltd., 6 Church Green, Witney, Oxfordshire, OX28 4AW, England

www.orpheusbooks.com

Copyright ©2012 Orpheus Books Ltd.

Created and produced by Nicholas Harris, Sarah Hartley, Katie Sexton, Ruth Symons and Erica Williams, Orpheus Books Ltd.

Text Ruth Symons

Illustrated by Simone Boni, Stephen Conlin, Ferruccio Cucchiarini, Peter Dennis,Giuliano Fornari, Luigi Galante, Andrea Ricciardi di Gaudesi, Gary Hincks,

Shane Marsh, Lee Montgomery, Steve Noon, Nicki Palin, Alessandro Rabatti,Rosanna Rea, Claudia Saraceni, Mark Stacey, Thomas Trojer and Alan Weston

Consultant Philip Wilkinson

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in aretrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,

mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior writtenpermission of the copyright owner.

ISBN 978 1 7418 3767 3

Printed and bound in Singapore

Photograph on page 20: Copyright ©2010 Kamira Used under licence from Shutterstock.com

Photograph on page 26 : Copyright ©2010 mountainpixUsed under licence from Shutterstock.com

AABBOOUUTT TTHHIISS BBOOOOKK

Each double page contains a brief introduction,explaining the general subject, followed by

key words arranged in alphabetical order. To lookup a specific word, turn to the index at the back ofthis book: this will tell you which page to go to. If youwant to learn more about a subject, take a look at thefactfile, or follow the arrows to read related entries.

AANNCCIIEENNTTEEGGYYPPTT

THE PYRAMIDS AT GIZAThe smaller pyramids in front of thePyramid of Khufu are the Queen’spyramids, where the pharaoh’smother and queens were buried.

The SphinxAbu Simbel The site where two hugetemples, ordered by Rameses II, are builtinto a rock wall. Outside the temple areseated statues of the king. The smallertemple is dedicated to Queen Nefertari.

Akhenaten King of Egypt from 1358 to 1336 BC. He tried to make people abandontheir many gods and worship only Aten,the Sun in the sky. He was the father ofTutankhamun ( 15).

Capstone The pyramid-shaped stone at thetop of a pyramid, also called a pyramidion.

Casing stones The outer layer of apyramid, mostly made from limestoneblocks. Casing stones would be highly polished.

Causeway The covered way that led froma pyramid’s valley temple to the pyramid.

Cleopatra Queen of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC

and the last pharaoh before Egypt wasconquered by the Romans.

Crook A gold-plated shepherd’s crookcarried by the pharaoh during religiousceremonies. It was a symbol of his duty toprotect his people.

Flail A gold, whip-like farming tool, carriedby the pharaoh during ceremonies. It wasa symbol of his power to punish enemies.

Giza A famous pyramid site, made up ofthree large pyramids. These are: the GreatPyramid of Khufu, the Pyramid of Khafreand the Pyramid of Menkaure.

Great Pyramid of Khufu The largest of thepyramids at Giza. It was 147 m high. It isthe only one of the Seven Wonders of theAncient World ( 6) still standing today.

Hatshepsut Queen of Egypt from 1479 to1458 BC. When her husband Thutmose IIdied, she took power and was madepharaoh. She wore the traditional clothingof a male pharaoh, including a false beard.

Heb Sed An ancient Egyptian festival heldto celebrate the rule of the pharaoh. It wascelebrated after 30 years of a pharaoh’sreign and then every three yearsafterwards. The pharaoh would have toperform physical activities to prove that hewas still fit enough to rule Egypt.

Karnak The site of a huge temple built tohonour the god Amun-Re ( 14). Thetemple complex had ceremonial halls andavenues where processions took place.

Lower Egypt The northern area of Egypt.

Menes The first pharaoh to rule bothUpper and Lower Egypt. He conqueredLower Egypt in about 3100 BC and broughtthe two kingdoms together.

Middle Kingdom A period of time inancient Egypt’s history from about 2040to 1640 BC. During this period, Egypttraded widely and conquered Nubia.

Nefertiti Queen of Egypt from 1353 to 1336 BC. She ruled beside her husbandAkhenaten. After her husband’s death,she ruled in her own right for a short time.

Nemes cloth A striped headdress worn bythe pharaoh as a symbol of his royalty.

New Kingdom A period of time in ancient Egypt’s history from about 1560 to 1070 BC. During this period, the “GoldenAge” of Egypt, the pharaohs conqueredmuch land and made their kingdomprosperous. New Kingdom pharaohs were buried in underground tombsinstead of in pyramids.

Nomarch A person who governed aprovince, or area, of ancient Egypt.

Nubia A region to the south of Egypt. The Nubians flourished through trade with Egypt. Nubia was controlled by Egypt for much of the New Kingdom.

Obelisk A tall stone pillar with a smallpyramid at its top. The Egyptians placedobelisks at the entrances to their temples.

Old Kingdom A period of time in ancientEgypt’s history from about 2575 to 2134 BC.During this time, the belief in the Afterlife ( 14) became an important partof Egyptian religion. This was the age ofpyramid-building.

Pharaoh The king, high priest, and ruler ofancient Egypt. The Egyptians believed thatthe pharaoh was descended from the Sungod, Re ( 24), and that the spirit of thefalcon god Horus ( 24) entered thepharaoh when he was crowned.

Pschent The double crown worn by thepharaoh. It was a symbol of a unitedEgypt, combining the pointed whitecrown (hejet) of Upper Egypt and the flatred crown (deshret) of Lower Egypt.

Pyramid A pharaoh’s stone tomb with foursloping triangular sides. The pharaoh’s bodywas placed in the pyramid, alongside histreasures. The entrance was then sealed todeter robbers. It took thousands of workersmore than 20 years to build one pyramid.

Rameses Twelve kings of ancient Egyptcarried the name Rameses, meaning “bornof the Sun god Re” ( 14). The most famouswas Rameses II, or Rameses the Great, whoruled from 1290 to 1225 BC. He led his peopleto victory over nearby lands.

Sphinx A statue in the shape of a lion with ahuman or ram’s head. The most famousexample is the Great Sphinx at Giza.

Thebes An ancient Egyptian city on the eastbank of the Nile. It was the capital of Egyptduring the Middle and New Kingdoms.

Upper Egypt The southern area of Egypt.

Vizier The person responsible for the day-to-day running of Egypt. He collected taxes

and administered justice.

The temple of Amun at Karnak

The ancient Egyptian civilization grewup on a narrow strip of land alongthe banks of the River Nile in Egypt.

The Egyptians were surrounded by ariddesert and their farming year relied onthe annual flooding of the Nile ( 17). Their civilization, which began to thriveover 5000 years ago, lasted for 3500 years.Many ancient Egyptian monuments stillstand today. The most famous are thepyramids, which were built to house theremains of early Egyptian pharaohs.

! cc..55000000 BBCC Farmers settle by the River Nile.

! 33440000 BBCC Egypt has developed as twokingdoms, Upper and Lower Egypt.

! 33110000--33003388 BBCC Rule of Menes.

! 22557755 BBCC Work begins on the pyramids at Giza.

! cc..11773300 BBCC Hyksos invaders from Syria gain control of Egypt.

! 11660000 BBCC Famine drives Hebrews from Canaan to Egypt.

! cc..11556600 BBCC Hyksos are driven out of Egypt.

! 11447733--5588 BBCC Rule of Hatshepsut.

! cc..11335588--3366 BBCC Rule of Akhenaten.

! 11229900--2255 BBCC Rule of Rameses II. The Hittiteswage war and fight the Egyptians at theBattle of Kadesh.

! 667711 BBCC Egypt is conquered by the Assyrians ( 11). It later falls to Greece, Persia and finally the Romans in 30 BC.

Nefertiti

This pharaoh iswearing a Nemesheaddress and afalse beard. Hecarries a crookand flail.

Great Pyramidof Khufu

Mortuarytemple ( 27)

Causeway

Valley templeMastabas

River Nile

Capstone

Satellite pyramidwhere thepharaoh’s ka ( 27)was buried.

1312

Pyramidof Khafre

Pyramid ofMenkaure

AA BBRRIIEEFF HHIISSTTOORRYY

Queens’pyramids

ARROWS These arrows show you where to look up otherwords mentioned in the entry. For example, ( 26) tells you to go forward to page 26 and ( 6) tells you to turn back to page 6.

INTRODUCTIONThis explains thegeneral subjectand provides somebasic knowledge.

KEY WORDS AND ENTRIESKey words are arranged alphabeticallyacross each double page. Each entryprovides a short explanation of whatthe key word means.

A BRIEF HISTORYThe brief history provides asummary of the key eventsin this period.

PAGE NUMBERPage numbersare easy to findat the side ofthe page.

BOLD WORDSThese highlightuseful words thatdo not have theirown entry.

TTIIMMEELLIINNEE 66

FFIIRRSSTT CCIIVVIILLIIZZAATTIIOONNSS 88

MMEESSOOPPOOTTAAMMIIAA 1100

AANNCCIIEENNTT EEGGYYPPTT 1122

RREELLIIGGIIOONN &&

TTHHEE AAFFTTEERRLLIIFFEE 1144

DDAAIILLYY LLIIFFEE IINN

AANNCCIIEENNTT EEGGYYPPTT 1166

AANNCCIIEENNTT CCHHIINNAA 1188

CCOONNTTEENNTTSS

AANNCCIIEENNTT GGRREEEECCEE 2200

TTHHEE RROOMMAANN EEMMPPIIRREE 2222

EEVVEERRYYDDAAYY LLIIFFEE

IINN RROOMMEE 2244

RROOMMAANN BBUUIILLDDIINNGG 2266

AANNCCIIEENNTT AAMMEERRIICCAA 2288

IINNDDEEXX 3300

76

c.2.5 million BC Start ofthe Stone Age. ThePalaeolithic Period, orOld Stone Age

begins.

c.8350 BC Thefounding of the city

of Jericho, the first walledtown in the world.

c.7000 BC Çatal Hüyük, the largest city ofits day, is built in Turkey,

c.5000 BC Agriculture starts on the Greekisland of Crete.

c.5000 BC The first farming communitiessettle by the River Nile in Egypt.

c.5000 BC Irrigation starts in Mesopotamia.

c.5000 BC Farming communities settle inthe Indus valley in India.

c.3500 BC Writing develops in Mesopotamia.

c.3400 BC Egypt has developed as twokingdoms, Upper and Lower Egypt.

c.3100 BC Egypt is united under the firstpharaoh, Menes.

c.3000 BC The emergence of major cities, such as Ur, in Mesopotamia.

c.3000 BC The start of the Bronze Age in the Middle East.

c.2575 BC Work begins onthe pyramids at Giza inEgypt.

c.2500 BC The rise ofthe Assyriancivilization.

c.2400 BC The Indusvalley civilizationdevelops on the banks of the River Indus. It was one of the first civilizations to havethe wheel and develop methods of writing.

c.2300 BC The Bronze Age begins in Europe.

c.2000 BC The Minoans start to build palaces on the island of Crete.

c.1792 BC King Hammurabi comes to the throne of Babylon.

c.1750 BC The Indus Valley civilization ends,when people leave the main cities, perhapsbecause of severe flooding.

c.1750 BC The Shang dynasty comes topower in China.

c.1650 BC The start of the Hittite Empire.

c.1595 BC The Hittites overthrow theBabylonians.

c.1550 BC The Mycenaean civilization begins in Greece.

c.1550 BC The start of the Iron Age in theMiddle East.

c.1377 BC Pharaoh Akhenaten enforces theworship of a single god, Aten, in Egypt.

c.1290 BC Rameses II becomes King of Egypt.

c.1200 BC The Hittite Empire collapses.

c.1200 BC The Olmeccivilization begins inMexico.

c.1100 BC The Shang areoverthrown in China.

1046 BC The Zhou dynastybegins in China.

c.800 BC The Etruscancivilization begins in Italy.

c.800 BC City-states are founded in Greece.

776 BC The first Olympic Games are held in Greece.

753 BC The traditional date for the foundingof the city of Rome.

671 BC The Assyrians conquer Egypt.

625 BC Nabopolassar overthrows theAssyrians and makes Babylon powerful.

c.560 BC The rise of the Persian Empire.

510 BC Tarquin, the last king of Rome, isdriven out and Rome becomes a republic.

c.500 BC The dawn of the Classical Age inGreece and the start of democracy.

499 BC The Persian Empire reaches theheigh of its power.

490 BC The Persians raid Athens.Persia then tries to conquer Greece

but is persistently fought back.Greece finally defeats Persia in

449 BC.

431-404 BC PeloponnesianWars between Athens

and Sparta.

359 BC Philip ofMacedoniadefeats theGreeks and unitesGreece.

334-327 BC

Alexander theGreat attacksthe PersianEmpire.

27 BC Octavian becomesthe first emperor ofRome, namedAugustus. Romeceases to be a republic.

AD 14 Tiberius becomesemperor of Rome.

AD 37 Caligula becomesemperor of Rome.

AD 41 Claudius becomes emperor of Rome.

AD 50 The building of Teotihuacánstarts in Central America.

AD 54 Nero becomes emperor of Rome.

AD 64 A fire destroys part of Rome.

AD 300 Rise of the Maya civilization inCentral America.

AD 380 Christianity becomes the o!cialreligion of the Roman Empire.

AD 410 Barbarian Visigoths invade Italy andsack Rome.

AD 476 Rome is overthrown by Germanchieftain Odoacer. The western RomanEmpire ends.

Travellers of the ancient world would often writeabout the sights they had seen. The monuments thatwere most admired became known as the SevenWonders of the Ancient World. These were:

1 The Great Pyramid at Giza ( 12)

2 The Hanging Gardens of Babylon ( 10)

3 The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. It was thelargest temple of its time, completed in 550 BC

and dedicated to the goddess Artemis.4 The Statue of Zeus in Olympia. Completed in 432 BC, the seated statue was 12 m high and made of ivory and gold-plated bronze.5 The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. This was a marble tomb built for a rich mancalled Mausolus in 453 BC. It was 45 m high and decorated with sculptures. 6 The Colossus of Rhodes. This was a huge bronze statue of the Greek godHelios. Erected in 280 BC, it was over 30 m high and stood over Rhodes harbour.7 The Lighthouse at Alexandria. This was the world’s first lighthouse, built in300 BC. It was over 120 m high.

Etruscan musician

Nefertiti

Jaguar knight

A F R I C A

O C E A N I A

S O U T H

A M E R I C A

N O R T H

A M E R I C A

E U R O P E

AncientEgypt

Mesopotamia

China

Incas

Mayans Indus valley

GreeceRome

ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONSOF THE WORLD

TTIIMMEELLIINNEE

Sculpture made24,000 years ago

A S I A

Aztecs

Romanfootsoldier

323 BC The Hellenistic Period begins in Greece.

322 BC The Mauryan Empire is founded incentral India by Chandragupta Maurya.

264-146 BC The Punic Wars are foughtbetween Rome and Carthage.

221 BC Qin rule begins in China.Shi Huangdi becomes thefirst Chinese emperor. Work begins on theGreat Wall of China.

202 BC The Han dynastybegins in China.

c.200 BC The rise of the Nazca civilization in America.

c.112 BC The Silk Route isopened, linking China to the West.

c.100 BC The Moche civilization begins inPeru in South America.

59 BC Julius Caesar is elected consul ofRome. He starts to rule Rome as a dictatorbut is assassinated in 44 BC.

Chinese silkmerchant

Crete

SSEEVVEENN WWOONNDDEERRSS OOFF TTHHEE AANNCCIIEENNTT WWOORRLLDDThe lighthouse

at Alexandria

98

The earliest human beings neversettled anywhere for long, butdrifted from place to place, eating

wild plants and hunting wild animals.When their food ran out they wouldmove on. Then, around 12,000 years ago,people started to farm crops and keepanimals. A continuous supply of foodmeant that people could live in the sameplace all year round. Groups settled invillages. As it was no longer necessary foreveryone to search for food, peoplebegan to develop crafts and trade.Villages grew into towns and cities.Civilization had arrived.

AA BBRRIIEEFF HHIISSTTOORRYY

FFIIRRSSTT CCIIVVIILLIIZZAATTIIOONNSS

Aurochs A type of wild cattle, much largerthan the modern cow, which is probablydescended from it. Aurochs weredomesticated around 8000 years ago.They can often be seen in ancient cave art.

Bronze Age The period when peoplelearned to make tools from the metalbronze. Bronze was made by melting tinand copper together. Bronze was foundto be harder and longer-lasting than othermetals, but still easy to cut and shape.The Bronze Age began about 5000 yearsago in the Middle East, but started later inother parts of the world.

Çatal Hüyük An ancient city built in about7000 BC in what is now Turkey. Its brickhouses were packed together with nostreets to separate them. It was home toabout 5000 people. Some were farmersbut others were craftworkers, makingornaments, jewellery and cloth to trade.

Cave paintings Paintings thought to havebeen made by hunter-gatherers between35,000 and 18,000 years ago. They usuallyshow wild animals such as horses, bisonand deer. There are examples of cave arton every continent in the world.

Civilization A society, or group of people,that have developed art, government,learning and trade. In a civilization, work is divided up so that only a few peopleprovide enough food for everyone to eat.This enables other individuals to developdi"erent skills such as craft and trade.

Cradle of civilization A name for the placewhere civilization first emerged. It is usuallyused to describe the Fertile Crescent butcan also refer to China, India or Mexico.

Mesolithic Period The middle part of theStone Age, when people used tools tohunt. It started in about 12,000 BC in theMiddle East.

Neolithic Period The last part of the StoneAge, when humans began farming. Itstarted in about 9500 BC in the Middle East.

Palaeolithic Period The first part of theStone Age, when the ancestors of modernhumans began using simple stone tools. It started around 2.5 million years ago.

Prehistoric The time before peoplestarted to write records. Prehistory isdivided into the Stone Age, the BronzeAge and the Iron Age.

Smelting The process through which ironor other metals are extracted from rock. Blacksmiths produce iron by heating therock that contains it to incredibly hightemperatures in a furnace.

A simple farming community in Europe c.1200 BC.People lived in huts of mud and straw.

Çatal Hüyük: a ladderran up to the roof of eachhouse, where there was a doorto get in. When the ladders weretaken away the city was safe.

Hunter-gatherers People that found theirfood by hunting and foraging in the wild.They did not stay in one place for long, butfollowed animals that moved to di"erentareas with the changing seasons.

Ice age A period when the Earth’stemperature drops significantly and icesheets spread out from the poles. The term usually refers to the most recent ice age, which reached its peakaround 20,000 years ago.

Iron Age The period when people learnedto make tools from the metal iron. The IronAge first began in about 1500 BC in theMiddle East. Iron was found to be morewidely available than tin and copper andstronger than bronze. However, it was alsoharder to produce as it required smelting.

Irrigation A means of supplying dry landwith water using ditches or streams.Irrigation meant that farming coulddevelop in naturally dry areas so long asthey were close to rivers.

Jericho One of the oldest cities in theworld. Built in around 8000 BC on the banksof the River Jordan, the city had huge wallsbuilt around it to protect it from attack.

Lascaux The site in southern France where many cave paintingswere discovered in 1940. The paintings are about 17,000 years old.

! c.2.5 million BC The start of thePalaeolithic or Old Stone Age. People live anomadic lifestyle with no fixed home.

! 15,000 BC The cave paintings are made inLascaux in southern France.

! 12,000 BC The Mesolithic Period begins.

! 10,000 BC The end of the last Ice Age.

! 9500 BC The start of the Neolithic Period.People start to farm the land and settle invillages. Some animals are domesticated forthe first time.

! 8530 BC The city of Jericho is founded.

! 7000 BC The city of Çatal Hüyük is built.

! 3000 BC Thestart of theBronze Age.

! 1500 BC

The start ofthe Iron Age.

Artists at work on a cave painting

Domestication The process of taming wildanimals and looking after crops.Domestication meant that people had asteady supply of food and no longerneeded to move about to hunt.

Fertile Crescent A curve of land thatstretched from the Persian Gulf in the eastto the Mediterranean in the west. The landwas perfect for farming as there was plentyof sunshine and rain. Some of the earliestcivilizations developed here, such as thosethat developed in Mesopotamia ( 10).

A woolly mammothtrapped in a pit by hunters

Stone Age The period when most toolswere made out of stone. This era isdivided into the Palaeolithic, Mesolithicand Neolithic Periods.

Cave painting

Cave art

1110

Two words written in picture symbols (below)and cuneiform (bottom).

Mesopotamia means “betweentwo rivers”, and refers to thestretch of land which lies

between the Tigris and Euphrates riversin what is now Iraq. The civilizationsthat developed there more than 6000years ago are among the oldest known.The area was dominated by the Assyrianand Babylonian empires for severalhundred years until it was laterconquered by the Persian Empire ( 21).

AA BBRRIIEEFF HHIISSTTOORRYY

Babylonian civilization A civilization thatemerged around 6000 years ago. Theywere the first people to divide the day into24 hours of 60 minutes and 60 seconds.Their astronomers believed the Earth wasa flat disc suspended in space on a cushionof air. At its height, the Babylonian Empirecontrolled most of Mesopotamia.

Cuneiform A method of writing usingsymbols. It replaced an earlier, morecomplicated form of writing that usedpicture symbols. Cuneiform was inventedby the Sumerians and adopted by theAssyrians, the Babylonians and thePersians. The word cuneiform is Greek for“wedge-shaped”, because of the wedge-shaped tool used to make the symbols.

Hittite civilization A civilization fromAnatolia, in present-day Turkey. At its peak,in about 1400 BC, the Hittite Empire coveredmuch of northern Mesopotamia.

Ishtar Gate The northern entrance toBabylon, covered in glazed blue bricks withcarvings of dragons and bulls. Built tohonour the goddess of love and battle, thegateway, through which sacred processionswould have passed, was 14 m high.

Kassites A tribe from the mountains thatruled southern Mesopotamia from 1500 to1155 BC. The Kassites were the longest ruling dynasty in Mesopotamia’s history.

Marduk The patron godof Babylon, often represented as adragon. The Babylonians believed Mardukwas the king of the gods. Nebuchadnezzarbuilt a ziggurat to honour him in Babylon.

Nabopolassar King of Babylon from 625 to605 BC. He overthrew the Assyrians anddeclared Babylonian independence.

Nebuchadnezzar II King of Babylon from605 to 562 BC and son of Nabopolassar.Nebuchadnezzar was a warlike king whofought the Egyptians and expanded theBabylonian Empire. He made Babylonmore secure by building a new city wall.

Nineveh The ancient capital of Assyria andhome to King Ashurbanipal’s famouslibrary. Archaeologists have found nearly22,000 clay tablets in the library at thepalace of Nineveh. The tablets, covered inwriting, have provided many details aboutAssyrian life, laws and history.

Gilgamesh An epic poem about the hero-king Gilgamesh. It was found in the libraryof Ashurbanipal at Nineveh. It is theearliest known written story, thought tohave been written in around 2000 BC.

Hammurabi King of Babylon from 1792 to1750 BC. Babylon began to dominateMesopotamia under his rule. Unlike otherkings, Hammurabi did not regard himselfas a god. He is most famous for the lawshe created, which were the first ever to bewritten down.

Hanging Gardens of Babylon A terracedgarden, ordered by King Nebuchadnezzar.Water was pumped up from the river andran down through the gardens. They wereone of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient

World. No trace of themremains today.

Ashurbanipal The last king of Assyria. He is most famous for creating the world’s first library in the city of Nineveh.

Assyrian civilization A civilization thatdeveloped in northern Mesopotamia inabout 2300 BC. The Assyrians were tradersand warriors with an empire that stretchedacross much of northern Mesopotamia. In 612 BC, the Assyrian capital, Nineveh wasdestroyed by the Babylonians and theAssyrian Empire collapsed.

Babylon The capital city of the Babyloniancivilization, founded in about 2500 BC. Babylon was a rich city, topped withbeautiful gardens and surrounded bymassive walls with eight gatewayentrances. The name Babylon means“gateway of the gods”.

How the HangingGardens of Babylon

may have looked.

Sumerian civilization The first civilizationto settle in Mesopotamia and the oldestknown civilization in the world. The Sumerians settled across southernMesopotamia in around 4500 BC, in an areacalled the Sumer. They invented writingand the wheel among many other things.They flourished until 200 BC, when theywere invaded by desert tribes.

Sumuabum The first king of Babylon. He declared Babylonian independencefrom all other rulers and ruled Babylonfrom 1894 to 1881 BC.

Ziggurat A towering, stepped pyramid witha temple at the top. Ziggurats were firstbuilt by the Sumerians but later adopted bythe Babylonians and Assyrians. They werebelieved to be stairways linking heavenand earth. The name ziggurat comes fromthe Assyrian word for “mountaintop”.

A scribe records the number of cattle a farmer has.He is using a wedge-shaped tool to make cuneiformsymbols on a clay tablet.

Bull Fish

Babylonian astronomers at work

The Ishtar GateThe Assyrian kinghunting lions

Ziggurat

MMEESSOOPPOOTTAAMMIIAA

! cc..55000000 BBCC Groups of farmers beginirrigation in Mesopotamia.

! cc..33550000 BBCC Early writing is developed in Mesopotamia.

! cc..33000000 BBCC The development of majorcities, such as Ur, in Sumer. Various city-states struggle over rule of Mesopotamia.

! cc..11779922 BBCC Hammurabi comes to thethrone of Babylon, which begins todominate Mesopotamia.

! 11665500 BBCC The start of the Hittite Empire.

! 11559955 BBCC Hittitesoverthrow theBabylonian Empire.

! 11115500 BBCC Babylon isconquered by theAssyrians.

! 662277 BBCC

Nabopolassar declares Babylonianindependence from Assyria.

! 660055--556622 BBCC Reign of Nebuchadnezzar II.Babylon conquers Assyria and Judah,

widening its empire.

! 553399 BBCC Babylon falls to the Persiansin the Battle of Opis. Babylon goes onto become one of the most important

cities in the Persian Empire ( 21).

Early writing in picturesymbols on a clay tablet

Tower of Babel The most famous ofBabylon’s ziggurats, probably built in the 6th century BC. According to the Bible, it was designed as a stairwayleading to heaven.

Ur A Sumerian city in southernMesopotamia. By 2100 BC, Ur was themost powerful city in the region.

1312

AANNCCIIEENNTTEEGGYYPPTT

THE PYRAMIDS AT GIZAThe smaller pyramids in front of thePyramid of Khufu are the Queen’spyramids, where the pharaoh’smother and queens were buried.

The SphinxAbu Simbel The site where two hugetemples, ordered by Rameses II, are builtinto a rock wall. Outside the temple areseated statues of the king. The smallertemple is dedicated to Queen Nefertari.

Akhenaten King of Egypt from 1358 to 1336 BC. He tried to make people abandontheir many gods and worship only Aten,the Sun in the sky. He was the father ofTutankhamun ( 15).

Capstone The pyramid-shaped stone at thetop of a pyramid, also called a pyramidion.

Casing stones The outer layer of apyramid, mostly made from limestoneblocks. Casing stones would be highly polished.

Causeway The covered way that led froma pyramid’s valley temple to the pyramid.

Cleopatra Queen of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC

and the last pharaoh before Egypt wasconquered by the Romans.

Crook A gold-plated shepherd’s crookcarried by the pharaoh during religiousceremonies. It was a symbol of his duty toprotect his people.

Flail A gold, whip-like farming tool, carriedby the pharaoh during ceremonies. It wasa symbol of his power to punish enemies.

Giza A famous pyramid site, made up ofthree large pyramids. These are: the GreatPyramid of Khufu, the Pyramid of Khafreand the Pyramid of Menkaure.

Great Pyramid of Khufu The largest of thepyramids at Giza. It was 147 m high. It isthe only one of the Seven Wonders of theAncient World ( 6) still standing today.

Hatshepsut Queen of Egypt from 1479 to1458 BC. When her husband Thutmose IIdied, she took power and was madepharaoh. She wore the traditional clothingof a male pharaoh, including a false beard.

Heb Sed An ancient Egyptian festival heldto celebrate the rule of the pharaoh. It wascelebrated after 30 years of a pharaoh’sreign and then every three yearsafterwards. The pharaoh would have toperform physical activities to prove that hewas still fit enough to rule Egypt.

Karnak The site of a huge temple built tohonour the god Amun-Re ( 14). Thetemple complex had ceremonial halls andavenues where processions took place.

Lower Egypt The northern area of Egypt.

Menes The first pharaoh to rule bothUpper and Lower Egypt. He conqueredLower Egypt in about 3100 BC and broughtthe two kingdoms together.

Middle Kingdom A period of time inancient Egypt’s history from about 2040to 1640 BC. During this period, Egypttraded widely and conquered Nubia.

Nefertiti Queen of Egypt from 1353 to 1336 BC. She ruled beside her husbandAkhenaten. After her husband’s death,she ruled in her own right for a short time.

Nemes cloth A striped headdress worn bythe pharaoh as a symbol of his royalty.

New Kingdom A period of time in ancient Egypt’s history from about 1560 to 1070 BC. During this period, the “GoldenAge” of Egypt, the pharaohs conqueredmuch land and made their kingdomprosperous. New Kingdom pharaohs were buried in underground tombsinstead of in pyramids.

Nomarch A person who governed aprovince, or area, of ancient Egypt.

Nubia A region to the south of Egypt. The Nubians flourished through trade with Egypt. Nubia was controlled by Egypt for much of the New Kingdom.

Obelisk A tall stone pillar with a smallpyramid at its top. The Egyptians placedobelisks at the entrances to their temples.

Old Kingdom A period of time in ancientEgypt’s history from about 2575 to 2134 BC.During this time, the belief in the Afterlife ( 14) became an important partof Egyptian religion. This was the age ofpyramid-building.

Pharaoh The king, high priest, and ruler ofancient Egypt. The Egyptians believed thatthe pharaoh was descended from the Sungod, Re ( 24), and that the spirit of thefalcon god Horus ( 24) entered thepharaoh when he was crowned.

Pschent The double crown worn by thepharaoh. It was a symbol of a unitedEgypt, combining the pointed whitecrown (hejet) of Upper Egypt and the flatred crown (deshret) of Lower Egypt.

Pyramid A pharaoh’s stone tomb with foursloping triangular sides. The pharaoh’s bodywas placed in the pyramid, alongside histreasures. The entrance was then sealed todeter robbers. It took thousands of workersmore than 20 years to build one pyramid.

Rameses Twelve kings of ancient Egyptcarried the name Rameses, meaning “bornof the Sun god Re” ( 14). The most famouswas Rameses II, or Rameses the Great, whoruled from 1290 to 1225 BC. He led his peopleto victory over nearby lands.

Sphinx A statue in the shape of a lion with ahuman or ram’s head. The most famousexample is the Great Sphinx at Giza.

Thebes An ancient Egyptian city on the eastbank of the Nile. It was the capital of Egyptduring the Middle and New Kingdoms.

Upper Egypt The southern area of Egypt.

Vizier The person responsible for the day-to-day running of Egypt. He collected taxes

and administered justice.

The temple of Amun at Karnak

The ancient Egyptian civilization grewup on a narrow strip of land alongthe banks of the River Nile in Egypt.

The Egyptians were surrounded by ariddesert and their farming year relied onthe annual flooding of the Nile ( 17). Their civilization, which began to thriveover 5000 years ago, lasted for 3500 years.Many ancient Egyptian monuments stillstand today. The most famous are thepyramids, which were built to house theremains of early Egyptian pharaohs.

! cc..55000000 BBCC Farmers settle by the River Nile.

! 33440000 BBCC Egypt has developed as twokingdoms, Upper and Lower Egypt.

! 33110000--33003388 BBCC Rule of Menes.

! 22557755 BBCC Work begins on the pyramids at Giza.

! cc..11773300 BBCC Hyksos invaders from Syria gain control of Egypt.

! 11660000 BBCC Famine drives Hebrews from Canaan to Egypt.

! cc..11556600 BBCC Hyksos are driven out of Egypt.

! 11447733--5588 BBCC Rule of Hatshepsut.

! cc..11335588--3366 BBCC Rule of Akhenaten.

! 11229900--2255 BBCC Rule of Rameses II. The Hittiteswage war and fight the Egyptians at theBattle of Kadesh.

! 667711 BBCC Egypt is conquered by the Assyrians ( 11). It later falls to Greece, Persia and finally the Romans in 30 BC.

Nefertiti

This pharaoh iswearing a Nemesheaddress and afalse beard. Hecarries a crookand flail.

Great Pyramidof Khufu

Mortuarytemple ( 27)

Causeway

Valley templeMastabas

River Nile

Capstone

Satellite pyramidwhere thepharaoh’s ka ( 27)was buried.

Pyramidof Khafre

Pyramid ofMenkaure

AA BBRRIIEEFF HHIISSTTOORRYY

Queens’pyramids

RREELLIIGGIIOONN &&TTHHEE AAFFTTEERRLLIIFFEE

Priests perform the Opening of theMouth ceremony. One priest wearsthe jackal mask of the god Anubis.

Amulet A charm worn like jewellery orplaced between the bandages on amummy. Amulets were thought to protectagainst evil. They came in the shapes ofhieroglyphs ( 16), gods and animals.

Amun-Re King of all the Egyptian gods,considered the father of the pharaohs.

Akh The part of a person’s soul that wouldlive on in the Afterlife. The life of the akhwas only possible if the proper funeral riteswere performed. The akh was representedas a crested bird called an ibis.

Anubis The Egyptian god of the dead,mummies and embalming. He is depictedwith the head of a dog called a jackal.

Ba The part of a person’s soul that wastheir personality. The ba was representedas a human-headed bird.

Book of the Dead A book of spells andhymns that were thought to help the deadthrough the Afterlife. It was written onpapyrus ( 17) and placed in the co!n orburial chamber of the dead person.

Burial chamber The room in a tomb orpyramid where a mummy was placed. It was filled with objects that would be needed in the Afterlife.

Canopic jar Decorated jars inside which amummy’s internal organs were stored. Inthe New Kingdom ( 13) they took the formof the four sons of Horus: a man, a hawk, ajackal, and a baboon.

Cartouche An oblong shape thatsymbolized eternity. Pharaohs believedthat their name would live on for ever if itwas written inside a cartouche.

Death mask A highly-decorated maskplaced on a mummy to guard the soulfrom evil on its journey to the Afterlife.

Embalm To preserve a body from decay.

Hathor The Egyptian goddess of love,music, joy and beauty.

Horus The Egyptian god of the sky, warand protection. He was depicted with thehead of a falcon and was believed to entera pharaoh’s body when he was crowned.

Isis The Egyptian goddess of women,mothers and children.

Ka The part of a person’s soul that neededfood and drink to survive. On death, it wasthought to leave the body. The ka wasrepresented as a pair of upraised hands.

Ma’at The principle of truth, justice andmorality that was strictly followed by theancient Egyptians. The principle wasembodied by the goddess Ma’at.

Mastaba A rectangular, flat-topped tombmade from mud-bricks and stone.Mastabas were used for the burial of high-ranking individuals.

Mortuary temple A temple built alongsidea pyramid. Priests went there each day tomake o"erings to the spirits of the dead.

Mummy A body that has been preservedafter death and then wrapped in cloth.

Mummification The process of preservinga body. It was carried out by people calledembalmers. First they removed all theinner organs except for the heart, placingthem in canopic jars. Next, they packed thebody with salt, sand and spices and rubbedit with oils and resin, before wrapping it inlayers of long linen bandages. It tookabout two months to mummify a body.

Mut Queen of the Egyptian gods. She wasshown as a vulture or a crowned woman.

Natron A natural salt used to dry outbodies during mummification.

Opening of the Mouth A funeral ceremonybelieved to give the mummy its senses andmovement in the Afterlife. A priest touchedthe hands, feet, eyes, ears, nose and lips ofthe mummy with a tool called an adze.

Osiris The Egyptian god of the dead. He was believed to rule the Afterlife.

Re The Egyptian god of the Sun. He wasshown with a falcon’s head, carrying thedisc of the Sun above his head.

Resin A sticky substance that comes fromtree sap and was used for embalming.

Sarcophagus The outer stone co!n intowhich a wooden co!n was laid.

Scarab A dung beetle that was a sacredsymbol of new life and regeneration.

Seth The Egyptian god of deserts, storms,evil, darkness and war.

Shabti A small figure in the shape of amummy. Shabti were placed in tombs toact as servants in the Afterlife.

Tutankhamun King of Egypt from 1333 to1323 BC. He is sometimes called the BoyKing because he was only 19 when he died. His tomb was discovered intact in theValley of the Kings in 1922.

Valley of the Kings A valley near Thebeswhere New Kingdom ( 13) pharaohs wereburied in underground tombs.

Valley temple A temple on the River Nile,linked to the pyramid by a causeway ( 12).It was where the Opening of the Mouthceremony may have been performed. The mummy was brought to the templealong the river on the royal funerary barge.

Decorated coffin with mummy inside

Canopic jars

The death mask ofTutankhamun

Some of the treasures found inthe tomb of Tutankhamun

The ancient Egyptians worshippedmany different gods and goddesses.Some of them were associated with

different animals, and are shown inpaintings or sculptures with animal heads.The Egyptians also believed in theAfterlife, a place where they would gowhen they died. To be reborn in theAfterlife, the body had to be preserved.Important people were mummified andburied in a tomb. Poor people were buriedin pits in the sand. But all Egyptians agreedthat the survival of Egypt depended on theburial of the pharaoh and his successfuljourney to the Afterlife.

! The ancientEgyptians worshippedhundreds of differentgods and goddesses.

! As a result of theembalmer’s skilledwork, many mummieshave not decayedthousands of years after mummification.

! The word “mummy” comes from theArabic word mumiya, meaning “pitch”. This is because, over time, the resins used to soak the bandages wrapped around amummy became black and sticky,resembling tar or pitch.

The eye of Horus,a popular amulet.

FF AA CC TT FF II LL EE

1514

1 Removing theinner organs

2 Packing thebody with salt,sand and spices

3 Wrappingthe body inbandages

Re Anubis

The mummification process

Akhet One of the three seasons in ancientEgypt. It was the season when the Nileflooded, spreading tons of mud and siltacross its floodplain. This occurredbetween September and January. Akhet was also known as the “season ofthe inundation”.

Demotic The normal, everyday writingused by the Egyptians in the later years oftheir civilization.

Deshret The ancient Egyptian name forthe desert. The name means “the redland”, referring to the colour of the sand.

Emmer A type of wheat grown in ancientEgypt. It was used for making bread.

Hieratic The normal, everyday form ofwriting used by ancient Egyptians. It wasa simplified form of hieroglyphics and wasmuch quicker to use.

Hieroglyphics A form of Egyptian writing,using signs that resemble pictures. The signs themselves are known ashieroglyphs. They were used only forinscription on tombs and other o!cial orceremonial purposes.

Inundation The annual flooding of theNile. Each summer, rains upstream causedthe Nile to burst its banks, laying down afresh layer of rich, fertile earth across thefloodplain on both sides. The Egyptianslearned to irrigate the land so that it wasnot too dry or too sodden after thefloods. They dug channels between thefields to take water to fields that werefurther away from the river.

Kemet The ancient Egyptian name for thefloodplain surrounding the Nile. The namemeans “the black land”, referring to thedark colour of the floodplain’s fertile soil. It is sometimes called the Nile valley.

Nile The river that flows through the centre of Egypt. The river flooded everyyear, providing fertile soil for farming. The river was also vital for travelling from place to place and for transportingheavy goods.

Nile Delta The place where the River Nileflows into the Mediterranean Sea. In ancient Egyptian times, it divided intoseven main channels and hundreds ofsmaller ones which fanned out across thelowlands. This triangular area of landresembled the shape of the Greek letter“delta”, so the region was known as theNile Delta. The lands around the Nile Deltawere fertile and an ideal place for farming.

Papyrus A reed that grows alongriverbanks and can be used to make every day utensils, boats and a material for writing on.

Peret One of the three seasons in ancientEgypt. Peret was the Egyptian winter,when the Nile’s flood waters retreated,leaving behind a layer of fertile soil. This occurred between January and May.It is sometimes known as the “season ofthe emergence”.

Reed boat A simple boat made frombundles of papyrus tied together. Reedboats had wooden paddles or long poles.

Scribe A person trained to read and writein ancient Egypt. Written records werevital to the way Egypt was governed. All government o!cials, priests, armygenerals as well as the pharaoh himself,knew how to read and write. In the cities,classes were set up for scribes. Only thesons of wealthy families went to school.

Shaduf A device for lifting water from the river to water the fields close by. It consisted of a pole with a bucketsuspended from one end and a heavycounterweight at the other end. A farmer would lift the bucket of water bypulling the weight.

Shemu One of the three seasons inancient Egypt. Shemu was the time ofyear when the River Nile was low and thecrops were harvested. The word shemumeans “low-water”.

Reed boat

Hunters caught wild birds using curvedsticks to stun the birds in mid-flight.

Harvesting on the banks of the River Nile in theseason of Shemu.

Formal hieroglyphs (top) and informal hieraticwriting (above)

Hieroglyphs carved into stone

In ancient Egypt, social rank wasextremely important. A person’sposition in society was closely linked

to the work he did. At the top of Egyptiansociety was the pharaoh ( 13). Beneathhim was his vizier, his high priests andpriestesses and his army generals. Then came architects, doctors, soldiersand priests. Below them were artists andcraftworkers. At the very bottom werethe peasants and farmers. Most Egyptianswere farmers, who farmed and fishedaround the edges of the River Nile.

! Wealthy Egyptians lived in comfortable,houses. Beds were made of wicker on awooden frame and sleepers rested theirheads on wooden headrests. Couches hadcushions stuffed with goose feathers, andtables were often highly decorated.

! The Rosetta Stone is a fragment of astone slab engraved with writing in threedifferent scripts. It was discovered in 1799and has proved vital in the understanding ofancient Egyptian writing. Because itsinscriptions were written in Greek as well ashieroglyphic and demotic scripts, FrenchmanJean-FrançoisChampollion (1790-1832) was able tocrack the code ofhieroglyphicwriting in 1824.

Fishing on the edge of the River Nile

FF AA CC TT FF II LL EE

1716

The Rosetta Stone

DDAAIILLYY LLIIFFEE IINNAANNCCIIEENNTT EEGGYYPPTT

1918

Characters Pictures or symbols used inChinese writing. Each character representsa word or part of a word. Characters oftenhave more than one meaning.

Confucius (551-479 BC) An importantChinese philosopher, who lived during the Zhou dynasty. He taught that it wasbetter to govern people wisely than torule them by force. His teachings becamevery popular during the time of the Han dynasty.

Great Wall of China A huge wall built toprotect northern China from attack. The wall was ordered by Qin Shi Huangdiand added to by later emperors. Most ofthe wall we see today was built during theMing dynasty. The wall is 600 km long and10 m high.

Han dynasty The dynasty that ruled Chinafrom 202 BC to AD 220. During this period,the Chinese army added extensive newlands to the Chinese Empire. China madegreat progress in science and many newobjects were invented, including paperand gunpowder.

Han tombs The stone tombs where theHan emperors were buried. The mostfamous is the tomb of Prince Liu Cheng,who was buried in a suit made from over2000 pieces of jade, sewn together withgold thread.

Mandarin An important governmento!cial from the time of the Han dynasty.Mandarins ensured that people followedthe laws and paid their taxes.

Qin dynasty The dynasty that ruled Chinafrom 221 to 206 BC. The dynasty reunitedChina after years of division and war.

Shang dynasty The first true Chinesedynasty. It ruled from 1600 to 1046 BC. The Shang people discovered how tomake strong tools and weapons from themetal bronze.

Silk A material made from the threadsproduced by silkworms. Wealthy Chinesepeople wore clothes made from silk,which kept them cool in the hot weather.

Jaguar knight An Aztec jaguar knightwore the skins, head, jaws and teeth of ajaguar. They carried the macahuitl, a

AA BBRRIIEEFF HHIISSTTOORRYYOracle bone from theShang dynasty

Silk Route A group of roads that linkedcities in China to varous areas in theMiddle East. Few merchants travelled thewhole Route. Most would travel a certaindistance and then pass their goods on toanother merchant.

Taoism The teachings of the Chinesephilosopher Lao Tzu . He taught thatpeople should live simple lives in harmonywith nature.

Terracotta Army An army of 600,000 life-size soldiers made of clay. They wereburied alongside Qin Shi Huangdi toprotect his spirit after death. Somesoldiers were on horseback or carryingweapons. Each brightly-painted soldierhad a di"erent face. It is thought thatthey may have been portraits of men inthe emperor’s real army.

Zhou dynasty The dynasty that ruledChina from 1046 to 256 BC. During thisperiod, iron replaced bronze as the mainmaterial for making tools and weapons.

The Terracotta soldiers were originallypainted in brilliant colours.

Bronze horsefrom the Han dynasty

The construction of the Great Wall of China.Millions of workers carried every block from thequarry to the site in baskets. Mandate of Heaven A traditional Chinese

belief that the emperor had the blessing ofheaven, so long as he was just and fair.

Oracle bones Animal bones used byfortune-tellers in Shang times. The boneswere inscribed with questions, in the formof picture symbols. They were heated overa fire until cracks appeared. The placeswhere cracks crossed the pictures weresupposed to give answers from the gods.The symbols are the first known example of writing in China.

Qin Shi Huangdi The first emperor of China.He ruled from 221 to 210 BC. He forcedeveryone to pay taxes and use the samemoney, weights and writing. Despite hisferocity, Shi Huangdi had a great fear ofdeath. Soon after he became emperor, hebegan to plan his tomb, which was guardedby his Terracotta Army. He also ordered theconstruction of the Great Wall.

People started to settle on thebanks of the Huang (Yellow) Riverin northern China more than 7000

years ago. As the Chinese civilizationdeveloped, ruling families, or dynasties,began to take power. China becameprosperous but was remote from therest of the world for hundreds of years. The ancient Chinese were skilledcraftworkers and artists, and made greatachievements in technology. Chinese inventors developed paper,gunpowder and even rockets.

Qin warrior

AANNCCIIEENNTTCCHHIINNAA

Chinese noblemen hunting rhinoceros

! cc..55000000 BBCC The Chinese civilization begins.Farming methods become more efficientand the population increases.

! 11775500 BBCC The Shang dynasty comes topower in China.

! 11004466 BBCC The Shang dynasty is overthrownand the Zhou dynasty begins.

! 555511 BBCC Birth of the philosopher Confucius.

! 447755--222211 BBCC Period of unrest across Chinaas separate states gradually becomeindependent and begin to fight each other.

! 222211 BBCC Qin rule begins in China. Qin ShiHuangdi becomes the first emperor. Work on the Great Wall of China begins. The Terracotta Army is produced.

! 221100 BBCC Qin ShiHuangdi dies

! 220022 BBCC The Handynasty gainscontrol ofChina.

! 111122 BBCC TheSilk Routeopens.

AANNCCIIEENNTTGGRREEEECCEE

AA BBRRIIEEFF HHIISSTTOORRYY

Three thousand years ago, Greecewas not one country, but a landmade up of many different city-

states. They all shared the same languageand religion but each state had its ownlaws, government and money. Greek citieshad a theatre and a gymnasium, lawcourts and public forums where politicswere discussed, and huge temples andshrines dedicated to the gods. The Greeksmade great progress in science,philosophy, politics and the arts, and forthis reason Greece is often called “thebirthplace of Western civilization”.

Mycenaean goldmask

An amphitheatre, where plays were performed

Minoan acrobats

Alexanderthe Great

Homer

A scene in Athens, the most powerfulcity-state of Greece. The city wasdominated by huge temples.

People make speeches about governmentand politics. Meanwhile, athletes arepractising for the Olympic Games.

According to Homer, Greek soldiers captured Troy byhiding in a wooden horse that was towed into the city.

Alexander the Great King of Macedoniafrom 336 to 323 BC. He was a great militarycommander and conquered most of theancient world, including Greece, thePersian Empire and Egypt.

Athens A city-state of Greece. In the 5thcentury BC, Athens was one of the world’smost powerful cities. It was named afterits patron goddess, Athena.

Crete The largest of the Greek islands andthe centre of the Minoan civilization.

Democracy A political system that gavecitizens a say in how they were ruled byallowing them to vote on their laws. The word democracy comes from theGreek demokratia, which means“government by the people”.

Drama All large cities in Greece had atheatre and drama was a popular form ofentertainment. The main types of playswere comedies and tragedies.

Greek gods The ancient Greeksworshipped many gods and goddesses,who they believed controlled every aspectof their lives. The 12 most important godswere said to live on Mount Olympus, thehighest mountain in Greece. Zeus was thechief of the Olympian gods.

Hellenistic Period The era between thedeath of Alexander the Great (323 BC) andthe Roman conquest of Greece (27 BC).

Homer A famous poet, thought to be theauthor of the epic stories the Iliad and theOdyssey. Homer is thought to have lived inthe 8th or 9th century BC.

Hoplites The foot soldiers of the Greekarmy. They were mainly armed withspears or swords. The soldiers were allcitizens, who would work as farmers whenthey were not fighting.

Minoan civilization A civilization thatdeveloped on the Greek island of Crete. The Minoans had started building theirtowns and palaces by about 2000 BC. They made their wealth by trading withother Mediterranean centres.

Myths Tales about gods and heroes thatwere passed down from generation togeneration. The word myth comes fromthe Greek word mythos meaning “story”.

Mycenaean civilization The first civilizationto develop on the Greek mainland. The Mycenaeans were a warlike peoplewho flourished between 1600 and 1100 BC.

Olympic Games A series of sportingcompetitions held between the differentcity-states of ancient Greece. The gameswere of equal athletic and religiousimportance, with ritual sacrifices takingplace alongside sporting events. Then asnow, the games were held every four years.

Peloponnesian War The war foughtbetween Athens and its empire and Spartaand its allies, known as the PeloponnesianLeague. The war lasted from 431 to 404 BC,when the Athenian Empire was defeatedand the city of Athens overrun.

Persian Empire An empire that ruled muchof the Middle East from 550 to 330 BC. The Persian army made several failedattempts to conquer the Greek city-states.The empire ended in 330 BC after Alexanderthe Great invaded the Persian capital.

Philosophy The study of thought.Philosophers ask questions such as “whatis wrong?” and “how do we know weexist?”. The word philosophy comes fromthe Greek philos meaning “love” and sophia meaning “wisdom”.

Sparta The only Greek city-state with a full-time army. The Spartans had a reputationfor strength and bravery. Boys were taughtto fight in battle from the age of seven.

Trireme A Greek warship that was rowedinto battle by three rows of oarsmen.

Trojan Wars The 10-year siege of Troy. It was waged by Menelaus, in order toretrieve his beautiful wife Helen, who hadrun away with Paris, a Trojan prince. 2120

! cc..66000000 BBCC The Minoans arrive on Crete.

! cc..11660000 BBCC The Mycenaean civilizationbegins in Greece.

! cc..880000 BBCC Greek city-states are founded.

! 777766 BBCC The first Olympic Games are held.

! cc..550000 BBCC The start of democracy in Greece.

! 449999--444499 BBCC The Persians attempt to invadeGreece but are fought back by the Greeks.

! 444499 BBCC The Greeks make peace with Persia.Athens flourishes.

! 443311--440044 BBCC PeloponnesianWars.

! 333388 BBCC King Philip ofMacedonia unitesGreece under his rule.

! 333366 BBCC Alexander theGreat seizes power in Greece

and invades Persia.

! 114466 BBCC Greece is dominatedby Rome.Hoplite

2322

Quinquereme A warship powered by 300oars arranged in three rows on each sideof the ship.

Republic A form of government whereleaders are elected by the people. Romewas a republic from 509 to 27 BC.

Roman emperor The supreme ruler ofthe Roman Empire. Emperors were notkings but they had absolute power overtheir people.

Roman Empire The lands and peoplecontrolled by Rome for around 400 years from 27 BC. It was ruled by theRoman emperor.

A Roman fort

TTHHEE RROOMMAANNEEMMPPIIRREE

AA BBRRIIEEFF HHIISSTTOORRYY

Testudo

A centurion

Augustus The adopted son of Julius Caesarand the first emperor of the RomanEmpire, which he ruled from 27 BC to AD 13.His real name was Octavian, but he tookthe name Augustus when he came topower. Augustus brought peace, but chosehis own successor, thereby turning Romefrom a republic with an elected leader intoan empire ruled by an emperor.

Barbarian A person who lived outside theRoman Empire. The Romans regarded theBarbarians as rough and uncivilized.

Caesar, Julius Consul of Rome from 59 to44 BC. Caesar had been a brilliant general,conquering many lands for Rome. When hewas elected consul he began to rule Romeas a dictator (someone who has absolutepower). Some senators wanted to regainpower, so in 44 BC a group of them stabbedCaesar to death.

Caligula Emperor of Rome from AD 37 to 41.He was cruel and vain and would oftenhave people slaughtered for no goodreason. He was very probably mad: heeven tried to make his horse a consul.

Cavalry Soldiers that rode on horseback.They often came from wealthy families.

Centurion The commanding o!cer of acentury, an army unit of 80 men.

Cohort A Roman army unit, usually madeup of six centuries, or 480 men.

Consul The most powerful elected o!cialin the Roman Republic. Two consuls wereelected to serve for one year. They wereexpected to govern Rome in agreementwith each other.

Contubernium An army unit of eight men.

Cuirass Leather or metal body armourworn by Roman soldiers. It was made ofseveral strips joined together to make itmore flexible than a single piece.

Legion The largest unit of the Roman army,made up of about 6000 men. A legionarywas a basic foot soldier.

Nero Emperor of Rome from AD 54 to 68. InAD 64 a fire destroyed part of Rome. It issaid that Nero, who saw himself as a greatmusician, played the lyre as Rome burned.

Prima cohort The largest cohort in a legion,made up of ten centuries, or 800 men.

Punic wars The wars between Rome andCarthage. War broke out in 264 BC overcontrol of Sicily. Carthage was defeated in241 BC. In 218 BC Hannibal of Carthageinvaded Italy but was defeated in 202 BC.60 years later Carthage fell to Rome.

Senate A group of important men who helped to govern the Republic and the Empire.

SPQR Initials standing for SenatusPopulusque Romanus, meaning “TheSenate and the People of Rome”. Theseinitials were found on Roman coins andmany public buildings.

Standard A tall pole topped with thesymbol of a legion or century. It wascarried into battle by a standard bearer.

Testudo A military formation wheresoldiers marched with their shieldsoverlapping over their heads and in frontof them. This would protect the menfrom arrows and spears as theyadvanced. Testudo is Latin for “tortoise”.

Tiberius Emperor of Rome from AD 14 to37. He strengthened the empire butbecame a tyrant feared by all.

Legionaries

Roman Empire in AD 200

GAUL (France)

BRITANNIA

GERMANIA

AFRICA

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

HISPANIA (Spain)

ITALIA

AEGYPTUS(Egypt)

SYRIA

ASIA MINORRome

Visigoths destroyRome in AD 455

The Romans came from a province ofItaly called Latium. They built up ahuge empire. At its peak in AD 117,

the Roman Empire included France,Spain, Germany, Britain, and parts ofeastern Europe and North Africa. At thistime, about 50 million people lived underRoman rule. The secret of Rome’s successwas its well-trained and organized armythat crushed all opposition. Once newland had been conquered, the Romansintroduced their own lifestyle andlanguage to the conquered people.

! 775533 BBCC The founding of Rome.

! 551100 BBCC Tarquin, the last king of Rome, isdriven out and Rome becomes a republic.

! 226644----114466 BBCC Punic Wars

! 5599 BBCC Julius Caesar is elected consul.

! 4444 BBCC Caesar is stabbed to death.

! 4433 BBCC Mark Anthony and Octavianstruggle for power of Rome.

! 2277 BBCC Octavian becomes Augustus, thefirst emperor of Rome.

! AADD 1144 Tiberius becomes emperor.

! AADD 3377 Caligula becomes emperor.

! AADD 4411 Claudius becomes emperor.

! AADD 5544 Nero becomes emperor.

! AADD 338800 Christianitybecomes the officialreligion of the Empire.

! AADD 441100 The BarbarianVisigoths sackRome.

! AADD 447766 Romeis overthrownby Germanchieftain Odoacer.

Emperor Nero

Baggage GeneralsReserve soldiersCavalry

2524

FF AA CC TT FF II LL EE

Slave A person sold to another person towork for them for free. Slaves had norights, but could be granted theirfreedom by their masters.

Taberna A shop in ancient Rome. Shopssold anything from hot take-away food topottery and clothing.

Gladiator A slave orcriminal trained to fightother gladiators and animalsfor the entertainment of the people.Gladiators fought to the death. After manyvictories gladiators might be given theirfreedom. Some gladiators made greatcareers for themselves in the arena. If a gladiator was wounded and asked formercy, the emperor could decide whetherhis life should be spared or not.

Insula An apartment block in town. Most town-dwellers lived in apartmentblocks. Some were built above shops.

ROMAN COINS

Amphitheatre A place where Romanswent to watch entertainments such asgladiator contests and wild animal hunts.It was usually circular or oval-shaped withan arena in the centre and seats on raisedsteps surrounding it.

Atrium The central reception area in atown house. It had an open roof to let inlight and a pool called an impluvium tocatch rainwater. The rooms in a housewere arranged around the atrium.

Basilica A large public building whereimportant local business was carriedout—much like a modern town hall.

Chariot A cart with two wheels pulled byhorses. The Romans used chariots fortransport and racing. Drivers raced theirhorse-drawn chariots at top speed aroundthe circus. They were allowed to ram intoeach other, and chariots often overturned.

Circus A long, narrow arena with curvedends, where chariot races were held. The Circus Maximus was a massive arenaand racecourse in Rome. It was big enough to hold roughly one quarter of the city’s population.

Citizen A person born in Rome with parents who were themselves Romancitizens. Later, citizenship was granted toeveryone in the empire except for slaves.

Denarius A silver coin. In the first centuryAD a legionary was paid 225 denarii a year.

Domus A large town house owned by arich Roman citizen.

Forum A space in the centre of a townwhere meetings and markets were held.

Latin The o!cial spoken and writtenlanguage of the Roman empire. It is notspoken today, but there are many words ofLatin origin in modern European languages.

Patrician A Roman citizen who wasdescended from a noble Roman family.

Peristyle A walled garden within a largetown house. Gardens typically had a waterfeature, hedges and trees, herbs,grapevines, statues and wall-paintings.

Plebeian A citizen who was not a patrician.

Roman gods The Romans worshipped manydi"erent gods and goddesses, which werebased on the Greek gods ( 20). Theyworshipped the gods in large temples andbefore small shrines inside their houses.

Toga A long piece of woollen cloth thatwas worn over a basic tunic.

Triclinium A dining room, usuallyfurnished with three sofas around a table.

Villa A large house in the countryside.

A Roman town

Gladiators fought with shields andswords, or with tridents and nets.

Roman streets were laid out in agrid pattern around the forum, acentral meeting square. Each town

would have its own bathhouse, theatreand amphitheatre. Farmers from thecountryside brought their produce intothe towns to sell in market. WealthyRomans lived in comfortable, spaciousvillas, but poor people’s homes weresmall and cramped.

Peristyle

Triclinium

Kitchen

Atrium

Taverna

Restaurant

Office

! Much of our evidence about Roman lifecomes from the ruins of Pompeii andHerculaneum. The two cities were destroyedin AD 79 when the volcano Vesuvius erupted.Pompeii was buried under hot ash andHerculaneum disappeared under mudwashed down from the volcano. Whole streets of shops and houses havebeen excavated in both cities.

! The Romans had about 120 publicholidays each year. Citizens would celebrateby going to the theatre or to a chariot raceor gladiator fight.

! Anyone could attend the games, but theyhad to sit in the correct seats. The lowestseats were for the most important citizens.Rich Roman men sat in the middle tiers,while poorer citizens, slaves, foreigners andwomen sat above them. At the very top satthe wives of the highest-ranking men,protected from the sun and rain by a canopy.

Sestertius

Denarius

Aureus

DOMUSAs well as bedrooms and living rooms, town houses had libraries, courtyards and shrines.

EEVVEERRYYDDAAYYLLIIFFEE IINN RROOMMEE

Bathhouse A public building wherepeople could go to wash. Bathhouseswere also a good place to meet friendsand socialize. The baths were heated by ahypocaust, or underfloor heating system.Bathers passed through several di"erentrooms. Women had use of the baths inthe morning, and men in the afternoon.Only the wealthiest Romans had baths intheir own houses.

RROOMMAANNBBUUIILLDDIINNGG

Building an aqueduct across a valley (above)Workers make progress on a new road (below)

Hypocaust A central heating system using hot air from a furnace that ischannelled through spaces under floorsand between walls. Hypocausts wereused to heat bathhouses and the homes of wealthy families.

Mosaic A decorative pattern or picturemade from coloured pieces of stone,pottery or glass set into cement. Mosaicswere used to decorate floors. They mostlyshowed scenes of daily life or mythology.

Roman roads Roman roads wereplanned to take the shortest route andto be as straight as possible. When theroute had been decided, soldiers andslaves dug a wide trench. The road wasthen built by packing layers of stone,sand and concrete into the trench. SomeRoman roads are still in use today.

Roman sewers The Romans built a system of underground pipes to carrysewage out of their cities and intonearby rivers or streams. The pipes werewashed out with used water frombathhouses. These sewers helped tomake cities much more hygienic.

Sudatorium A steam room in a Romanbathhouse. Its name comes from theLatin word sudor meaning “sweat”. Inthis room, the bather scraped oil and dirto" their skin with a device called a strigil.

Surveyor A person who measures andmaps the land. A Roman surveyor would decide on the best locations for roads and aqueducts. Surveyorstravelled with the army to plan whereforts should be built.

Tepidarium The warm room in a Romanbathhouse. Bathers would enter thetepidarium to cool down after the steamand heat of the sudatorium.

Thermae The Roman name for a publicbathhouse. The word thermae comes fromthe Greek word thermos meaning “hot”.

A mosaic of a partridge perched in a tree.

The Romans were skilled buildersand engineers. After conquering aregion, they were quick to build

new buildings, roads and aqueducts.Good roads allowed soldiers, messengersand the delivery of supplies to makeprogress in all weathers. Most towns hadpublic baths that anyone could visit.These were an impressive feat ofengineering, with central heating andwater brought in via an aqueduct.

! The Romans built 85,000 km of roadsthroughout their empire.

! The Romans made the first milestones—stone blocks that were placed along the sideof a road. They gave the distance to Rome aswell as the distance to the nearest town.Roman milestones were placed 1000 paces(1480 m) apart.

! About 200 Roman aqueducts are stillstanding today.

! The wordaqueductcomes fromthe Latinwords for“water” and“to draw along”

A BATHHOUSE

Caldarium The hot room in a bathhouse.Here, bathers would soak in a large hotbath sunk into the ground.

Concrete A building material made of sand,aggregate (rocks, rubble or broken tiles)and mortar (lime, gypsum or volcanic ash).In late Roman times many buildings weremade from concrete.

Frigidarium The cold room in a bathhouse.Here there was a cold bath to plunge into,which would close the pores of the skin.

Groma An instrument used to measurestraight lines and right angles. It was madeof a wooden pole topped with a flat crossfrom which small weights were hung. A surveyor would position the groma sothat two of the strings were aligned. He would then direct an assistant to placepoles in line with the strings, thus markingout a straight line.

Aqueduct A system of pipes and channelsthat brought clean water into towns fromnatural springs and rivers. Engineerslooked for a river or lake that was slightlyhigher than the town it was supplying.They then built the aqueduct so thatwater flowed gradually downhill towardsthe town. Aqueducts across valleys were built up on arches.

FF AA CC TT FF II LL EE

Using a groma

Cold water tank

Hot water tanks

Boiler room

Hypocaust

Toilets

Plunge pool

FrigidariumCaldarium

Changingroom

Wooden framesupports archduring construction

Woodenscaffoldingfor workersto stand on

Workshop

Crane used for liftingbuilding materialsPlastering

finished arches

Supervisingengineer

2726

2928! cc..1122,,000000 BBCC The Olmec civilization begins.

! 990000--220000 BBCC The Chavin flourish.

! 330000 BBCC Rise of the Nazca culture.

! AADD 110000 The Moche civilization begins.

! AADD 330000 The rise of the Mayan civilizaiton.

! AADD 550000--11000000 Tiahuanaco civilization.

! AADD 660000--990000 Huari civilization.

! AADD 11220000 Aztec Empire established.

! AADD 110000--11447700 Chimu civilization.

! AADD 11443388 Inca Empire established.

! AADD 11552211 Aztec Empiredefeated by Spanishconquistadors.

! AADD 11553322 FranciscoPizarro begins conquest ofInca Empire.

People had lived in the Americas forthousands of years beforeEuropeans arrived in the 16th

century. In Central and South America,farming villages grew into cities withmagnificent temples and palaces.Religion was very important to mostancient American civilizations and theyworshipped many gods. The Maya andAztecs held religious ceremonies at whichhuman sacrifices were made to ensureplentiful harvests and good fortune.

The Sapa Inca being carried by servants

AANNCCIIEENNTTAAMMEERRIICCAA

AA BBRRIIEEFF HHIISSTTOORRYY

The stepped pyramids of a Maya city built in anarea of cleared forest.

Andes A mountain range running thelength of western South America. The Inca civilization flourished in theAndes before the arrival of Europeans.

Aztecs A people that dominated CentralAmerica from AD 1200 to 1519. Their empirewas based around the city of Tenochtitlánin what is now Mexico. They often went towar and would gather captives from thedefeated to sacrifice to their gods. TheAztec Empire was destroyed by theSpanish in the 16th century.

Moctezuma II The last of the Aztecemperors. He was probably assassinatedby the Spanish conquistador HernanCortés in 1520.

Nazca A system of valleys that runs acrosssouth Peru. The Nazca culture developedhere between 300 BC and AD 800.

Nazca lines A series of pictures carvedinto the ground in the Nazca Desert insouthern Peru. Each image, usually of ananimal, is of gigantic proportions and canonly be seen properly from the air. No one knows what the pictures meanbut they may have played a part in aNazca religious ritual.

Olmec civilization A civilization thatdeveloped between 1200 and 300 BC. The Olmecs lived in swampy lands nearthe Gulf of Mexico. They did not go to warbut flourished through trade. Theirstepped pyramid temples were adoptedby later ancient American civilizations.

Pyramid of the Sun A huge pyramid builtin central Mexico in the 1st century AD. It was built over a cave where the Sun wassaid to have been born. The city ofTeothihuacán was later built around it.

Quechua The set of languages spoken bymost ancient American civilizations.

Sapa Inca The leader of the Inca people.The Sapa Inca not only ruled everythingbut was believed to be a descendant ofthe Sun god, Inti. Inca means “emperor”and sapa means “only”.

Tenochtitlán The most important city inthe Aztec empire. Founded in AD 1325, thecity covered about 15 square kilometres. It was built on an island in Lake Texcoco.

Nazca lines

Jaguar knight

Jaguar knight An Aztec warrior who worethe skins, head, jaws and teeth of a jaguarand carried a wooden club edged withsharp blades called a maquahuitl. Only thefinest warriors became jaguar knights.They were highly respected and feared.

Machu Picchu An ancient Inca fortress cityhigh in the Andes mountains built in aboutthe 15th century AD and not discovered bythe rest of the world until 1911.

Maya civilization An advanced civilizationthat flourished in Central America fromthe 3rd century BC to the 10th century AD.As their civilization expanded they builthuge temple-pyramids and palaces. TheMaya became advanced in branches ofastronomy and mathematics anddeveloped a writing system.

Moche civilization A civilization thatflourished in northern Peru from AD 100 to800. The Moche were brilliant potters andmetal workers with a kingdom ofthousands of people. Moche rulers wererich and powerful warrior-priests, whooften led their people to war.

Ball games A popular Aztec and Mayaactivity. Two teams of players tried toknock a ball through a ring using only theirforearms, hips and thighs. Members ofthe losing team were oftensacrificed to the gods.

Chavin civilizationA civilization that flourishedin northern Peru fromaround 1200 BC to 200 BC.Their culture was based onfishing, farming and hunting.

Chimu civilization A civilization that ruled partsof Peru from AD 900 to 1470. The Chimu made beautiful craftwork andworshipped the Moon.

Huari A civilization from the north of Peru.It was at its height around AD 800 and wasa fierce rival of the Tiahuanaco people.

Inca A formidable empire that ruled muchof western South America in the 15th and16th centuries. The Inca built up a vastempire by conquest, then governed theirpeople firmly. They worshipped the Sunand called themselves “children of theSun”. Many of their stone roads still existtoday. The Inca Empire was defeated bythe Spanish in the 16th century.

Aztec ball game in front of a stepped pyramidGiant stoneheads likethis one werecarved by theOlmecs. Eachhead weighsup to 20tonnes.

Tiahuanaco civilization A civilization thatwas based near Lake Titicaca, high in theAndes. It was at its most powerfulbetween AD 500 and 1000.

A Mayan altar showing thedeath god

Teotihuacán The name of an ancientAmerican civilization and their capital city.Teotihuacán is sometimes referred to as“the city of the gods”.

AAAfrica 7, 22-23afterlife 13, 14-15agriculture 6Alexander the Great

7, 20-21America, ancient 7, 28-29amphitheatre 21, 24Andes mountains 28-29Anthony, Mark 23aqueduct 26-27arabic 15army 18-22, 27art 8, 20Ashurbanipal 11Asia 7Asia Minor 23Assyrians 6, 10-11, 13astronomy 10-11, 28Athens 7, 20-21Augustus (Octavian) 7,

22-23Aztecs 7, 28-29

BBBabel, Tower of 11Babylon 6, 10-11

Hanging Gardens of 6, 10Barbarians 7, 22-23bathhouse 24, 26-27Bible 11Book of the Dead 14Britain (Britannia) 22-23bronze 6, 8-9, 18-19Bronze Age 6, 8-9

CCCaesar, Julius 7, 22-23Carthage 7, 23Çatal Hüyük 6, 8-9

cave painting 8-9Central America 7, 28ceremonies 12, 28Champollion,

Jean-François 17Chavin 28-29Chimu 28-29China 6-7, 8, 18-19Christianity 7, 23cities 6, 8-9, 11, 19, 20,

25, 27-28citizen 20, 24-25city-states 6, 11, 20-21Classical Age 7Cleopatra 12coins 23-24, 25Colossus of Rhodes 6comedies 20concrete 26-27Confucius 18-19conquistador 29copper 8-9Cortés, Hernan 29craftworkers 8, 16, 18, 28Crete 6-7, 20-21cuneiform 10

DDdemocracy 7, 20-21dictator 7, 22domestication 8drama 20dynasties 11, 18

EEEastern Europe 22Egypt 6-7, 12-17, 20, 23

Lower Egypt 6, 13Middle Kingdom 13New Kingdom 13, 14-15Old Kingdom 13Upper Egypt 6, 13

emperor 7, 18-19, 22-23empire 10, 21, 22, 24, 27, 28engineers 26-27epic 10, 20

Etrucscans 6Euphrates river 10Europe 6-7, 9, 22

FFfarming 6, 8-9, 12,

17, 19, 28fire 7, 18, 22food 8-9, 15, 25France 9, 22-23funeral rites 14-15

GGGaul (France) 23Germania (Germany) 22-23Gilgamesh 10Giza 6, 12-13gladiator 24-25gods 6, 10-15, 20, 25, 28-29goddesses 6, 11, 14-15, 20, 25gold 12, 18, 21government 8, 17, 18, 20, 23Great Pyramid at Giza 6Great Sphinx at Giza 13Great Wall of China 7, 18-19Greece, ancient 6-7, 13, 20-21

gods 20, 25gunpowder 18

HHHammurabi 10-11Han dynasty 7, 18-19Hannibal 23Hebrews 13Helen (of Troy) 21Hellenistic Period 7, 20hieratic writing 16-17hieroglyphics 14, 16Hispania (Spain) 23Hittites 6, 11, 13Homer 20-21Huang (Yellow) River 18Huari 28-29

humans first 8modern 9

hunter-gatherers 8-9hunting 8-9, 24, 28

IIIce Age 9Iliad 20Incas 7, 28-29India 6-7, 8Indus, River 6Indus valley 6-7Iraq 10Iron Age 6, 9, 19irrigation 6, 11, 16Ishtar Gate 11Italia (Italy) 6-7, 22-23

JJKKJaguar knight 7, 28-29Jericho 6, 9Jordan, River 9kings 6-7, 10-12, 14-15, 20-21, 23

LLlanguage 20, 22, 25, 29Lao Tzu 19Lascaux 9Latin 25laws 10-11, 18, 20library 10-11, 25Lighthouse at Alexandria 6

MMMachu Picchu 28Mandarin 18Mandate of Heaven 18maquahuitl 28mathematics 28

Mauryan Empire 7Mausoleum at

Halicarnassus 6Mayans 7, 28-29Mediterranean Sea

8, 17, 21, 23merchants 7, 19Mesolithic Period 9Mesopotamia 6-8, 10-11metal 8-9, 19, 22, 28Mexico 6, 8, 28-29Middle East 6, 8-9, 19, 21Ming dynasty 18Minoans 6, 20-21Moche civilization 7, 28-29Moctezuma II 29money 18, 20mosaics 26-27Mount Olympus 20mummies 14-15music 14, 22Mycenaeans 6, 21mythology 21, 27

NNNazca 7, 29Nebuchadnezzar II 11Nefertiti 6, 13Neolithic Period 9Nero 7, 22-23Nile, River 6, 12-13, 15, 16-17North Africa 22North America 7Nubia 13

OOOceania 7Octavian (Augustus)

7, 22-23Odoacer 7, 23Odyssey 20Olmecs 6, 29Olympic Games 6, 20-21Opening of the Mouth

Ceremony 14-15oracle bones 18-19

PPpalaces 6, 21, 28Palaeolithic Period

(Old Stone Age) 6, 9paper 18papyrus 14, 17patrician 25peasant 16Peloponnesian Wars

7, 21Persian Empire

6-7, 10-11, 20-21Persian Gulf 8Peru 7, 28-29pharaohs 6, 12-17Philip of Macedonia 7philosophy 20-21Pizarro, Francisco 29Pompeii 25pottery 25, 27prehistory 9priests 15-16, 17priestesses 16public baths 26Punic wars 7, 23pyramids 6, 12-13,

15, 28-29

QQRRQin dynasty 7, 19Qin Shi Huangdi 18-19Quechua 29queens 12-13, 15quinquereme 23Rameses II (Rameses

the Great) 6, 12-13religious ceremonies

12, 28-29republic 7, 22-23Rhodes harbour 6roads 19, 26-27, 28Roman Empire 7, 12-13,

22-27gods 25roads 27sewers 27

Rome 6-7, 21, 22-24, 27Rosetta Stone 17

30 31

SSsacrifices 21, 28Sapa Inca 28-29sarcophagus 15school 17science 18, 20scribe 10, 17sculptures 6, 14senate 22-23Seven Wonders of the

Ancient World 6, 10, 12Shang dynasty 6, 18-19shrines 20, 25Sicily 23Silk Route 8, 19silver 24slaves 24-25, 27soldiers 16, 19, 21, 22-23,

26-27South America 7, 28Spain 22-23Sparta 7, 21Sphinx 13SPQR 23statues 6, 12-13, 25 stone 9, 12-13, 15, 17, 18,

27, 28-29Stone Age 6, 9streets 24-25Sumerians 10-11surveyor 26-27Syria 13, 23

TTtaoism 19taxes 13, 18technology 18temples 6, 12-13, 15,

20, 25, 28-29Tenochtitlán 28-29Teotihuacán 7, 29Terracotta Army 18-19Texcoco, Lake 29theatre 20, 24-25Thebes 13, 15Tiahuanaco 28-29Tiberius 7, 23

Tigris, River 10tin 8-9Titicaca, Lake 29toga 25toilets 26tombs 6, 13, 14-16, 18tools 8-9, 10, 12, 19towns 8, 21, 24-26trade 8, 29tragedies 20treasures 13, 15tribes 11Trojan Wars 21 Troy 21Tutankhamun 12, 15

VVValley of the Kings 15Vesuvius 25villages 8-9, 28Visigoths 7, 22vizier 13, 16volcano 25vote 20

WWwars 13, 14-15, 19, 21, 23,

28-29weights 18, 26wheel 6, 11, 24wooden horse 21woollen cloth 25woolly mammoth 8writing 6, 9, 10-11, 16-18, 28

ZZZeus 20Zhou dynasty 6, 18-19ziggurat 11

IINNDDEEXX