social studies Flashcards
mesopotamia
a region between the tigris and euripides rivers
floodplain
flat land bordering the banks of a river
silt
fine fertile soil carried by flooding rivers and deposited on the floodplain
arid
a type of climate marked by hot summers and little rainfall
drought
a prolonged period of dry weather
currents
concentrated flowing of water, as in a river
swell
to increase in level or volume, as in a flooding river
irrigation
the watering of dry land by a system of ditches or pipes
surplus
an extra amount of a good or produce
levee
an earthen wall built to hold back the floodwaters of a river
civilization
an advanced way of life based on cites
city-state
a self governing city and the land surrounding it
ziggurat
a mud brick building with a temple on the top
polytheism
the belief in many gods goddess and spirits
king
all powerful ruler of a country or city-stats
pictographs
symbols that represent words
cuneiform
written language invented by the sumerians
scribes
specialists who could read and write
sumer
a region in southern mesopotamia where first civilizations developed
empire
a region of land and people united under one government
fertile crescent
region that stretches from sinai to the persian gulf
code of law
an organized set of laws for a city-state or an empire
justice
fair treatment under the law of a city-state or empire
tribute
a kind of tax paid by a group of people who were conquered to the people who conquered them
exile
to send away a person or group of people from one place to the next
toleration
a willingness to allow people to keep their beliefs and traditions
provinces
political regions that are part of an empire
satraps
governor of provinces in the Persian empire
royal road
a persian road for government purposes stretching from sardis to susa in Darius
