Early Societies – Writing and City Life (Mesopotamia)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key places, concepts, technologies and figures from the lecture on Mesopotamian ‘Writing and City Life’. Each term has a concise definition to aid exam review.

Mesopotamia

Ancient land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, in present-day Iraq; birthplace of early cities and writing.

Sumer

Southern urbanised region of Mesopotamia, known for its earliest cities and temples.

Akkad

Northern-central part of Mesopotamia; gave its name to the Akkadian language and empire.

Babylonia

Name used for southern Mesopotamia after Babylon rose to prominence (after 2000 BCE).

Assyria

Mesopotamian kingdom in the north, powerful from c.1100 BCE and famed for military might.

Tigris River

Eastern river of Mesopotamia that, with the Euphrates, supplied water and silt to early cities.

Euphrates River

Western river of Mesopotamia; its channels and floods made southern desert agriculture possible.

Cuneiform

Wedge-shaped writing system of Mesopotamia, pressed into clay tablets with a reed stylus.

Sumerian Language

Earliest known language of Mesopotamia, gradually replaced by Akkadian after c.2400 BCE.

Akkadian Language

Semitic tongue that became dominant in Mesopotamia; written in cuneiform for over 2,000 years.

Urbanism

Way of life based on specialised labour, trade, services and organised administration typical of cities.

Division of Labour

Separation of work into specialised tasks (e.g., seal-carving, metal-working) characteristic of urban economies.

Cylinder Seal

Small carved stone roller used to imprint continuous designs on wet clay as a mark of identity or ownership.

Ziggurat

Massive stepped tower supporting a temple in Mesopotamian cities (e.g., at Babylon).

Uruk

One of the first major Mesopotamian cities; associated with King Gilgamesh and early writing.

Ur

Early Sumerian city famous for royal tombs filled with rich grave goods.

Mari

Trading city on the middle Euphrates; flourished under King Zimrilim and linked steppe herders with farmers.

Pastoralists

Mobile herders of sheep, goats, etc., who interacted with (and sometimes raided) settled farming communities.

Steppe

Upland grassland north of Mesopotamia where animal herding predominated over farming.

Irrigation Canal

Human-made water channel that diverted river flow to fields, enabling high crop yields in the south.

Temple Economy

System where temples owned land, organised production, stored food, and kept written records.

Bronze

Alloy of copper and tin; main material for Mesopotamian tools, weapons and luxury items after 3000 BCE.

Potter’s Wheel

Rotating device that allowed mass production of uniform clay vessels in early Mesopotamian workshops.

Gilgamesh Epic

Mesopotamian poem about the hero-king of Uruk; reflects city pride and search for immortality.

Enmerkar

Legendary king of Uruk credited with organising first long-distance trade and inspiring the invention of writing.

Lapis Lazuli

Valued blue semi-precious stone imported from distant regions for Mesopotamian jewellery and inlay.

Clay Tablet

Moist lump of clay used as a writing surface; dried to create durable records of transactions and literature.

Zimrilim

Amorite king of Mari (c.1810-1760 BCE) who built a vast palace and prospered from trade.

Assurbanipal’s Library

Collection of about 30,000 tablets gathered by the Assyrian king at Nineveh, preserving myths and science.

Nabonidus

Last independent king of Babylon; revered antiquity and repaired ancient statues and cults.

Domestication

Process of taming plants and animals (e.g., wheat, barley, sheep, goats) that led to settled agriculture.

Plough Agriculture

Farming method using animal-drawn ploughs, adopted in Mesopotamia by about 3000 BCE.

Wheel (Transport)

Innovation first used for carts and river transport around 3600 BCE, lowering the cost of moving goods.

Flood Myth

Mesopotamian tale of Ziusudra/Utnapishtim, parallel to the Biblical story of Noah’s Ark.