Download Mesopotamia Vocabulary Fertile Crescent

Mesopotamia Vocabulary
Fertile Crescent-
a large arc of rich, fertile farmland
Silt-
a mixture of rich soil and tiny rocks
Irrigation-
a way of supplying water to an area of land
Canals-
human-made waterways
Surplus-
an extra supply of something
Division of labor-
an arrangement where each worker specializes in a particular job
Rural-
countryside areas
Urban-
the city area
City-state-
a self-governing city consisting of a city and the countryside around it
Empire-
land with different territories and people under a single rule
Polytheism-
the worship of many gods
Priests-
people who performed religious ceremonies
Social hierarchy-
the division of society by rank or class
Cuneiform-
the world’s first system of writing, created by Sumer
Pictographs-
picture symbols
Scribe-
someone trained in the art of writing
Epics-
long poems that tells the stories of heroes
Architecture-
the science of building
Ziggurat-
a pyramid-shaped temple tower
Monarch-
a ruler of a kingdom or empire
Hammurabi-
a king in the Babylonian Empire
Hammurabi’s Code-
the first set of written laws
Chariot-
a wheeled, horse-drawn cart used in battle
Alphabet-
a set of letter, based on sounds, that can be combined to form works,
created by the Phoenicians