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Mesopotamia
Vocabulary Cards
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Agriculture | The process of cultivating soil, producing crops, and raising livestock |
Artisan | A skilled crafts worker who makes things by hand. (EX: pottery, jewelry, art) |
Astronomer | A person who studies the heavenly bodies, stars, and planets. |
Bronze Age | A period of time when people made and used bronze. |
Caravan | A group of merchants traveling with camels and selling their goods in an open market. |
City-State | A city that governs itself and its surrounding territories. |
Code | A set of laws to be followed by citizens of a country. |
Communicate | A way to share ideas or information. (language, writing) |
Cuneiform | A wedge-shaped writing system invented by the Sumerians where you carve shapes into clay tablets. The shapes are symbols for words. |
Cyrus | King of Persia |
Domesticate | To train an animal for human use. |
Epic | A very long poem about a hero and his great deeds. |
Euphrates River | A major water source of the Mesopotamians. Provided irrigation, water, food, transportation routes, trade routes, etc. |
Gilgamesh | The hero of the epic poem Gilgamesh. Defeated the monster Humbaba. |
Hammurabi | King of Babylon |
Hammurabi's Code | Strict, severe law code created by Hammurabi; carved into huge steles in society; eye for an eye- tooth for a tooth. |
Irrigation | Using a process to water crops on a consistent basis |
Labor | Work; usually manual labor; working by hand |
Mesopotamia | The land between two rivers; developed between Tigris and Euphrates rivers; cradle of civilization |
Military | Soldiers or armed forces who protect their nation. |
Monarchy | A form of government run by a King and Queen. |
Nebuchadnezzar | King of Babylon; conquered by Cyrus; built the Hanging Gardens for his wife |
Province | Divisions of an Empire; usually political |
Region | Divisions of a country not always with fixed boundaries |
Scribes | Writers of Mesopotamia; usually men |
Silt | Fertile soil used to grow crops |
Social Class | An organization of society based on types of work and how much money you make doing your work. |
Specialized Labor | Training for a particular job |
Technology | sticks, stones, animal bones, metals used by early people to make tools and weapons. |
Tigris River | Major river that Mesopotamia developed around. Provided irrigation, food, water, transportation, trade routes, etc. |
Tribute | A forced payment given to a King of a country by the people he conquers. |
Ziggurat | A place of worship for Ancient Mesopotamians with a temple at the top. |
Assyrians | Savage military force who conquered many societies; also known as the Assassians; demanded tribute |