ABDICATE: to give up the throne
ALLY: someone who works in partnership and cooperation with another
ANNUL: to cancel or make invalid
BANKRUPT: unable to repay debts
COLONNADE: a covered row of columns, often part of a pathway connecting more than one building or parts of a building or surrounding a courtyard
CONCUBINE: a woman who is not a wife, but who lives with a man and with a lower status than a wife
CONFUCIAN PRINCIPLES: values that reflect the teachings of Confucius
CONFUCIUS: Chinese philosopher whose ideas had a strong influence on Chinese culture
CONQUER: to defeat in a military battle
CONSORT: a companion of a monarch or ruler
CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY: a system of government in which there is a monarch whose power is limited by a constitution
COURTIER: a person in attendance at a royal court, usually as an advisor
CRUSADES: a series of medieval military campaigns that took Christians from Europe to the Middle East to try to take the area around Jerusalem from Muslim rule
CUNEIFORM: an ancient form of writing used in Mesopotamia and Persia
DECIPHER: to translate or decode ancient writings into a language that’s understood
DEPOSE: to remove forcibly from a position of power
EDICT: an official declaration
FRATRICIDE: killing a brother or sister
FRESCO: a painting made on a wall using wet plaster
GLYPH: a character or symbol meant to represent an idea or a sound
GUILD: a membership association of craftspeople or businesspeople
HAREM: the part of the palace reserved for women
HEIR: a person who inherits property or a title
HERESY: a belief that is very different from commonly held beliefs
HERETIC: someone whose beliefs (especially religious beliefs) are not in line with generally accepted beliefs
ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT: a handwritten manuscript decorated with illustrations in colored ink and gold leaf
IMPALE: to pierce through with a sharp object
LOOT: to take the goods of a population after a battle
MALIGN: to speak critically of
MORTUARY TEMPLE: a temple built to house the tomb of a pharaoh
OBELISK: a tall stone pillar
PAGAN: religion that originated before or outside of the world’s main religions
PATRON SAINT: a (no longer living) holy person who protects a place
PLUNDER: to steal goods and destroy property
REGENT: someone who rules or administers for a monarch who is too young to rule
SACK: to destroy a town or village
SARCOPHAGUS: a stone coffin
SPOILS: goods that are forcibly taken or stolen