Download Vocabulary –Mesopotamia Fertile Crescent

Vocabulary –
Name _________________________________
Mesopotamia
Date _________________ Period ___________
Fertile Crescent – an ancient area of fertile soil and important rivers
Civilization- complex way of life that came about as people began to
develop urban
settlements
Surplus -an amount that is left over after a need has been met
City-state –an independent city and surrounding land that governs
itself and has its own laws
Cuneiform -The world’s first system of writing developed by the
ancient Sumerians in Mesopotamia.
Drought – a long period of abnormally low amounts of rainfall that
adversely affects crops and living conditions.
Scribe -A person who copies or writes books or documents by hand;
often a record keeper
Epic –a long poem that records that deeds of a legendary of real hero
Ziggurat -a temple tower having the form of a pyramid.
Mesopotamia -the region of the first ancient civilization. Means the
land between two rivers.
Hammurabi’s Code –first, written set of 282 laws put together by the
king of Babylon.
Polytheism- a belief in more than one god