Download Chapter 3 Lesson 2

Chapter 3 Vocabulary- Ancient Mesopotamia
Chapter 3 Lesson 1
 Mesopotamia- the region between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
 Floodplain- the flat land bordering a river
 Silt- the fine soil deposited by floodwaters
 Semiarid-having little rainfall and warm temperatures
 Drought-period of little rainfall
 Surplus-an amount of a good, such as food, in excess of what is
needed
Chapter 3 Lesson 2
 Civilization- an advanced form of culture
 Sumer- an ancient region of southern Mesopotamia
 City-state- a political unit that includes a city and its nearby
farmlands
 Ziggurat- an ancient Sumerian or Babylonian temple that rose in a
series of steplike levels
 Polytheism- a belief in many gods or goddesses
 King- the leader of a group of people
Chapter 3 Lesson 3
 Bronze- a metal made of copper and tin
 Pictograph- a picture or drawing that represents a word or an idea
 Stylus- a sharpened reed used to press markings into clay tablets
 Cuneiform- a type of writing made up of wedge-shaped markings
 Scribe- a person who specializes in writing and serves as a record
keeper