|
 city-state | a city and its surrounding lands that act as a government |
| temple | a building for the worship of a god or gods |
| canal | a waterway built for irrigation |
| surplus | more than what is needed; extra |
| technology | progress in the use of tools |
| Tigris and Euphrates | the rivers that allowed Mesopotamia to grow |
| irrigate | to supply with water |
| Fertile Crescent | Found along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, this was the first early river civilization. The cities in this area were governed by city-states and used irrigation to produced their corps. |
| cuneiform | the writing of the Sumerians |
| ziggurat | a temple in Mesopotamia |
| rivers | were important because their water allowed people to farm |
| Assyrians | empire known for its cruelty, harshness and skill at warfare |
| Chaldeans | People who helped to destroy the Assyrian empire |
| Sumer | the first major civilization in Mesopotamia |
| Hammurabi | known for his code of laws |
| Mesopotamia | the land between the two rivers |
| Hanging gardens of Babylon | Built by king Nebuchadnezzar, a huge jungle tower. It is one of the seven wonders of the world. |
| writing | the most important invention of the Sumerians |
| roads | built by the Assyrian kings to join their empire together |
| clay tablets | what Sumerian children wrote on |