Mesopotamia: Civilization, Writing, and Early Empires (Vocabulary)

Vocabulary flashcards covering Mesopotamia geography, writing, early empires, key figures, and political forms from the lecture notes.

Mesopotamia

Ancient region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers; birthplace of civilization; largely in present-day Iraq.

Fertile Crescent

Geographic arc including Mesopotamia with rich soils enabling early agriculture and settled life.

civilization

A complex, urban-based way of life characterized by cities, writing, governance, and shared culture.

Sumer (Sumair)

Southern Mesopotamian region where early cities and city-states formed; foundation of Mesopotamian civilization.

city-state

Independently governed city and its surrounding territory; a common political unit in early Mesopotamia.

Ur

Major Sumerian city-state used as an example of early urban centers.

tokens

Early clay markers used for accounting and record-keeping before widespread writing.

pictograms

Depictions of objects used as a writing step; pictures standing for words or ideas.

cuneiform

The first known writing system in Mesopotamia; wedge-shaped symbols inscribed on clay.

mitten

Archaeological term for a broken piece of pottery or a pottery shard found at sites.

domestication

Process of taming and breeding wild plants/animals for human use; goats and sheep among the first.

Neolithic Revolution

Period when many societies shifted from nomadic hunter-gatherers to settled farming and cities.

Sargon the Great

Founder of the Akkadian Empire; united multiple Mesopotamian city-states into the first empire.

Akkadian Empire

First empire in world history, established by Sargon and expanded to control several city-states.

Hammurabi

Babylonian king who codified laws in the Code of Hammurabi.

Babylonian Empire

Empire centered in Babylon; flourished under Hammurabi and successors in Mesopotamia.

Code of Hammurabi

282 laws prescribing social and economic rules; famous for the eye-for-an-eye principle; inscribed on a stele.

stele

Tall, carved stone pillar used to publicly display laws or decrees, like Hammurabi’s code.

Marduk

Chief Mesopotamian god who, in Hammurabi’s prologue, grants Hammurabi the authority to rule.

Inanna

Mesopotamian goddess of love, war, and political power; used to help create a shared culture.

eye for an eye

Lex talionis; punishment should correspond to the offense (e.g., eye damaged equals eye damaged).

translation

Process of rendering text from one language into another.

transliteration

Process of rendering the sounds of one script into another script; preserving pronunciation.

monarchy

Political system ruled by a single king.

tyranny

Rule by one who governs by force; often oppressive.

democracy

Rule by the people; citizens participate and vote.

aristocracy

Rule by a hereditary elite or noble class.

oligarchy

Rule by a small group of individuals.

paleolithic

Old Stone Age; nomadic hunter-gatherer societies.

neolithic revolution (settlement era)

Transition to settled farming and city-building leading to more complex societies.