Unit 1 Test - Lessons 4, 5, 6 Flashcards
city-state
an early city that was like a small, independent country with its own laws and government
irrigation
a means of supplying land with water
levee
a wall of earth built to prevent a river from flooding its banks
Mesopotamia
in ancient times, the geographic area located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, means “land between two rivers”
Sumer
an area in southern Mesopotamia, where cities first appeared
artisan
a craftsperson
civilization
a society marked by developed arts, sciences, government, and social structure
cuneiform
writing that uses wedge-shaped characters
merchant
a person who makes money by selling goods
pictograph
a symbol that stands for an object
stele
a clay tablet that was used to record important events or pictures
scribe
a person who writes
social structure
the way a civilization is organized
ziggurat
an ancient Mesopotamian temple tower with outside staircases and a shrine at the top
code of laws
a collection of written laws and rules
economy
the way a region or country uses resources to produce and sell or trade goods and services to meet people’s needs and wants
empire
a large territory in which several groups of people are ruled by a single leader or government
siege
a military blockade and attack on a city to force it to surrender
Tigris River
a main river in Mesopotamia
Euphrates River
a main river in Mesopotamia
Sumerian irrigation
many Sumerian villages worked together to maintain irrigation
stable food supply
meant that there was enough for the entire population
commonly used inventions in Sumer
the wheel, the plow
Hammurabi
the leader of the Babylonians, known for strict code of laws
