Chapter 3 Vocab (Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent) Flashcards
The Fertile Crescent
a large arc of rich, or 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
more than needed
Division of Labor
the type of arrangement in which each worker specializes in a particular task or job
Rural
or countryside
Urban
or city
City-State
consisted of a city and all the countryside around it
Gilgamesh
King of Uruk - was a legendary figure in Sumerian literature
Sargon
First ruler to establish a permanent army. Established the world’s first empire
Empire
land with different territories and peoples under a single rule
Polytheism
the worship of many gods
Priests
people who perform religious ceremonies
Social Hierarchy
the division of society by rank or class
Cuneiform
the world’s first system of writing
Pictograph
picture symbols
Scribe
or writer
Epics
long poems that tell stories of heroes
Architecture
the science of building
Ziggurat
a pyramid-shaped temple tower
Monarch
a ruler of a kingdom or empire
Hammurabi’s Code
a set of 282 laws that dealt with almost every part of daily life
Chariot
a wheeled, horse-drawn cart used in battle
Nebuchadnezzar
most famous Chaldean King who rebuilt Babylon into a beautiful city (The Hanging Gardens)
Alphabet
a set of letters that can be combined to form words
