MESOPOTAMIA Flashcards
In what modern-day country did Mesopotamia begin?
Iraq
What were the names of the two rivers which surrounded Mesopotamia?
Tigris and Euphrates
What two major environmental problems did farmers face in dealing with these rivers throughout the year?
flooding and drought
How did the Sumerians overcome these “natural” issues with the rivers?
They built earth walls, called levees
What did having extra food allow the Sumerians to do?
people to do other work than farm.
Silt
The flooding deposited silt, which is fertile, rich, soil,
Irrigation
the land between the rivers.
surplus
food surplus, or more than they needed.
Bartering
that is, trading goods and services for other goods and services.
City-state
a political system consisting of an independent city having sovereignty over contiguous territory
Polytheism
the belief in or worship of more than one god.
Ziggurat
pyramidal stepped temple tower that is an architectural and religious structure characteristic of the major cities
Cuneiform
a Mesopotamian script pre-dating cuneiform
Scribe
a person who copies out documents, especially one employed to do this before printing was invented.
epic
a long poem, typically one derived from ancient oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or the history of a nation.
