Mesopotamia Terms

Terms in this set (36)

Fertile Crescent

a large arc of rich, or fertile, farmland that extends from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea

a mixture of rich soil and tiny rocks

a way of supplying water to an area of land

human-made waterways that brought water to fields

more than they needed

division of labor

an arrangement in which each worker specializes in a particular task or job

a countryside area

a Mesopotamian region that included several city-states like Ur and Babylon that had similar features of their society, including religion, art, and social classes

a political unit that consisted a city and all of the countryside around it

a major city-state of Sumer that ruled the region after the fall of the Akkadian empire

a powerful king of the Uruk city-state that became a legendary figure in Sumerian literature

a group of people from the city-state of Akkad (just north of Sumer) that created an empire under the leadership of Sargon

king of the Akkadians who created the first permanent army, which led to the first empire in the world

land with different territories and peoples under a single rule

the worship of many gods

the god of the moon; a giant temple was dedicated to this god in the city-state of Ur

people who performed religious ceremonies by interpreting the wishes of the gods and making offerings to them; had great social status in Sumer

social hierarchy

the division of society by rank or class

the world's first system of writing developed by the Sumerians; developed from pictographs

sharp tools used to write cuneiform into clay tablets

picture symbols where each image represented an object that earlier societies had used in written communication

a writer; a learned profession in Sumer who would often be hired to keep written records

long poems that tell the stories of heroes (ex. The Epic of Gilgamesh)

the science of buildings

a pyramid-shaped temple tower that generally had outdoor staircases that led to a shrine at the top

a ruler of a kingdom or empire

a Sumerian city-state that rose to become an empire under the rule of Hammurabi in 1700s BC

Hammurabi's Code

the first set of written laws that included 282 laws that dealt with almost every part of daily life (ex. trade, loans, theft, marriage, murder)

Hittites and Kassites

two groups of people who developed powerful societies in Mesopotamia after the fall of the Babylonian empire due to their military power (including use of iron and the chariot)

a wheeled horse-drawn cart used in battle

a group of people who created an empire in the Fertile Crescent around 900 BC; known for brutal military tactics and aggressive techniques to rule their empire

a group of people who created an empire in the Fertile Crescent after the fall of the Assyrians led by Nebuchadnezzar in 652 BC

the most famous Chaldean king who created an empire; known for his grand palace with the Hanging Gardens (one of the Wonders of the Ancient World)

the last major power of the Fertile Crescent that was based on being a wealthy-trading society; created the first alphabet

a set of letters that can be combined to form words

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