Ch 3.1, 3.2, 2.3 Vocab Flashcards
Mesopotamia
the area of Southwest Asia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers - home to many early civilizations
floodplain
flat land bordering a river
silt
fine, fertile soil deposited by a river
semiarid
having little rainfall and warm temperatures
drought
a period of little rainfall, in which growing crops becomes difficult
surplus
an amount produced in excess of what is needed
civilization
a human society with an advanced level of development in social and political organization and in the arts and sciences
sumer
an ancient region of Southern Mesopotamia, in which civilization arose around 3300 B.C.
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 step-like levels
polytheism
a belief in many gods or goddesses
king
the highest ranking leader of a group or people
bronze
a metal that is a mixture of copper and tin
pictograph
a picture or drawing that represents a word or an idea in an early system of writing
stylus
a sharpened reed used to press markings into clay tablets
