Mesopotamia Flashcards
Fertile Crescent
a large arc of rich farmland extending from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea
silt
a mix of rich soil and small rocks
irrigation
a way of supplying water to an area of land
canals
human-made waterways
surplus
more of something than is needed
division of labor
an arrangement in which people specialize in specific tasks.
rural
having to do with the countryside
urban
having to do with the city
city-state
a political unit consisting of a city and the surrounding countryside
empire
land with different territories and people under a single rule
polytheism
the worship of many gods
priests
people who performed religious ceremonies
social hierarchy
a division of society by rank or class
cuneifrom
the Sumerian system of writing, which used symbols to represent basic parts of words
pictographs
picture symbols that represented objects such as trees or animals
