Understanding Ancient Civilizations: Rome, Islam, and Africa in Context

1. 3rd 9 Weeks Exam Test Prep

2. patrician • A member of a wealthy family in the ancient Roman Republic

3. dictator • A person in the ancient Roman Republic appointed to rule for six months in times of emergency, with all the powers of a king

4. colloseum • A large amphitheater built in Rome around A.D. 70; site of contests and combats

5. aquaduct • A structure that carries water over long distances

6. arch • A curved structure used as a support over an open space, as in a doorway

7. villa • A country estate

8. republic • A type of government in which citizens select their leaders

9. circus • An arena in ancient Rome or the show held there

10. Jesus • Founder of Christianity; believed by Christians to be the Messiah

11. tolerance • Understanding, allowing the practice of beliefs other than one’s own

12. Messiah • A savior in Judaism and Christianity

13. Justinian’s Code • An organized collection and explanation of roman laws for use by the Byzantine Empire

14. epistle • In the Christian Bible, letters written by the disciples

15. nomads • People with no permanent home, who move from place to place in search of food, water, or pasture

16. polytheism • A belief in more than one god

17. disciple • A follower of a person or belief

18. consul • An elected official who led the Roman Republic

19. veto • The power of one branch of government to reject bills or proposals passed by another branch of government

20. authority • The power or right to enforce obedience, take action, or make a final decision

21. attitude • A feeling or belief about something

22. Mosque • A Muslim house of worship

23. province • A unit of an empire

24. mercenary • A soldier who serves for pay in a foreign army

25. Caliph • A Muslim ruler

26. inflation • An economic situation in which the government issues more money with lower values

27. Constantine • Emperor of Rome for A.D. 312-337; encouraged the spread of Christianity and an emperor of the Roman Empire and the founder of Constantinople

28. plebeian • An ordinary citizen in the ancient Roman Republic

29. Justinian • One of the greatest Byzantine emperors

30. schism • A split, particularly in a church or religion

31. prestige • The power to impress or influence, because of success or wealth

32. Muhammad • The prophet and founder of Islam

33. caravan • A group of traders traveling together for safety

34. Mecca • An Arabian trading center and Muhammad’s birthplace

35. Muslim • A follower of Islam

36. Quran • The holy book of Islam

37. martyr • A person who dies for a cause

38. Sufis • A mystical Muslim group that believed they could draw closer to God through prayer, fasting and a simple life

39. distinct • Not alike; different

40. descendant • A person who is related to an ancestor

41. prosperity • Wealth; success

42. Bantu • A large group of central and southern Africans who speak related languages

43. savanna • An area of grassland with scattered trees and bushes

44. Sahara • A huge desert stretching across most of North Africa

45. clan • A group of families who trace their roots to the same ancestor

46. Ile-Ife • The capital of a kingdom of the West African rain forest

47. Swahili • A Bantu language with Arabic words

48. Aztecs • A people who lived in the Valley of Mexico

49. traditional • Coming from customs handed down through time

50. migration • The movement from one country or region to settle in another