Civilization

A complex society in which people make advances in the arts, science, religion, and law.

Irrigation

Using ditches and canals to bring water to a dry place.

Cuneiform

Style of writing that used wedge shapes.

ancient

Very old

Pharaoh

A king of ancient Egypt.

pyramid

A stone monument that served as a tomb in ancient Egypt.

mummy

A body prepared in a special way for burial.

hieroglyphics

A kind of writing based on pictures and signs.

subcontinent

A large mass of land that is part of a continent.

caste

A social class into which people are born.

Dynasty

A family that rules for several generations in a row.

Compass

A device with a magnetic needle that points north.

Silk Road

The long route that linked China with the rest of Asia and Europe.

City-state

A city or town and its surrounding lands.

Alphabet

A set of symbols that stand for spoken sounds.

Republic

Government in which people vote for leaders to represent them.

Empire

A group of nations joined under one government.

Architecture

The design of buildings

Aqueduct

The system of pipes and waterways that carries water.

Manor

Farmland owned by a lord or lady.

Peasant

A poor farm worker.

Commerce

The buying and selling of foods.

Guild

A group of people who do the same work and are joined together for an economic reason.

Renaissance

In Europe, a period of new interest in art, literature, science, and architecture.

Monarchy

A nation ruled by one person.

Colonization

The act of setting up colonies.

Dictatorship

A government with a single leader.

Communism

A system in which the government, not the people, owns the country’s land, resources, and means of production.