Glossary

a priestly clan said to descend from Aaron, the brother of Moses

Opposed to the practice of slavery.

Founded circa 550 BC by Cyrus II. It was the largest empire of its era, extended from Anatolia and Egypt to northern India.

a follower

In Mesopotamian myth, the first of the ancient sages, a human-fish hybrid who bypassed a chance at immortality.

twelfth month of the Jewish religious calendar

The island-filled sea between Greece and Turkey, which opens to the Mediterranean sea on the south.

Relating to agriculture, or (of a society) dependent on agriculture for food.

Hebrew term for the binding of Isaac

The Mesopotamian language, written on cuneiform, that was used by the Assyrian and Babylonian empires.