Ancient Mesopotamia

Definitions based off Mesopotamian history.

Sargon I

Ruler of the Sumerian city-state Kish around 2270 BC; Established the first empire.

Hammurabi

King of the Amorites and ruler of the Babylonian Empire.

Abraham

Man whose descendants became the nation of Israel.

Jonah

Prophet whom God sent to Nineveh to tell the Assyrians to repent.

Sir Leonard Wooley

Archaeologist who, in the 1920s, uncovered many artifacts from Ur and the land of Sumer.

Cuneiform

Wedge-shaped writing.

Ziggurat

A pyramid-like temple.

Empire

A group of nations under one government.

Tell

A mound made up of layered dirt and the remains of buildings.

Scribe

A person whose job is to record information in writing.

Cylinder Seal

A clay cylinder used to imprint one’s signature.

Artisan

A skilled craftsman.

Silt

A sediment of very fine particles containing rock and minerals that is found at the bottom of bodies of water.

Irrigation

A way of supplying water to land or crops.

Surplus

An amount that is more than what is needed.

Social class

a group of people in society with the same social position, often determined by economic status.

Barter

A system in which people exchange goods and services for other goods of services.

Ca

Abbreviation for circa, meaning “around”; used before the number of a year to signify a year before the birth of Christ.

BC

Abbreviation for Before Christ.

AD

Abbreviation for Anno Domini

Epic

A long poem about the actions of a hero.

Epic of Gilgamesh

A Mesopotamian poem describing the adventures and eternal life of Gilgamesh, a legendary hero.

Phalanx

A group of warriors who stood close together in a formation.