Chapter 2 Section 1 Flashcards
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Two rivers in Western Asia that flow into the Persian Gulf
Mesopotamia
A valley between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Fertile Crescent
An arc of land in the Mediterranean/Persian gulf with nutrient-rich soil
Silt
A material made of river deposits
Sumer
One of the 3 first Mesopotamian cities
Polytheistic
Believing in many gods
Ur and Urk
Independent southern Mesopotamian cities
City states
Basic units of Sumerian civilization
Ziggurat
An important temple in cities which are dedicated to the gods
Theocracy
The belief that gods possessed mortal forms to rule a city
Bronze
A metal used for tools that corroded less than other metals
Transport
To move an object or thing to another place
Innovations
To introduce a new idea
Cuneiform
A type of writing used on clay tablets in the Old Kingdom
Scribe
Men who documented civil affairs using cuneiform
The epic of Gilgamesh
A poem used to show immortality was only for the gods, not the people
Wagon wheel
A tool used to transport things over land
Sundial
A tool used to keep track of time using the sun
Akkadians
The people located north of Sumerian city states
Sargon
A leader of the Akkadians
Empire
A large political area/state under one ruler
Babylon
A city south of Akkad
Hammurabi
A king who united Sumer and Akkad as a Mesopotamian kingdom
Code of Hammurabi
A set of laws with extreme consequences if broken
Patriarchal
A society dominated mostly by men
Sumerians
The people of Sumer, and the creators of the first Mesopotamian civilization
