Vocab List: Mesopotamia DBQ

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms related to Mesopotamian society, including definitions and concepts relevant for understanding its structure and functioning.

Specialization

When people learn to work at one specific job, instead of farming or doing many different things.

Complex Society

A society with different social classes, specialized jobs, and often large cities and governments.

Social Class

A group in society that has a different amount of power, wealth, or status than other groups.

Hierarchy

A system where groups are ranked one above the other according to status or authority.

Elite (Upper Class)

The highest or most powerful group in a society; often the rulers, priests, or nobles.

Daily Life

The routine, everyday activities and experiences of a person or group.

Authority

The power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience.

Skilled Labor

Work that requires special training, education, or ability (e.g., carpentry, jewelry making).

Social Structure

The way a society is organized, often into different classes based on birth or job.

Middle Class

A group of people in society who often have skilled jobs and are not the richest or the poorest.

Artifact

An object made by a human being, such as a tool or an ancient statue.

Relief

A type of carving on a flat surface, like a wall, so that the picture stands out.

Priest/Priestess

A person who performs religious duties and ceremonies.

Scribe

A person whose specialized job was to read and write on clay tablets to record information.

Artisan

A skilled worker who makes things by hand, such as jewelry, pottery, or furniture.

Ziggurat

A large, ancient Mesopotamian temple that looks like a stepped pyramid.

Trade/Merchant

The business of buying and selling goods; a person who buys and sells with distant lands.

Lower Class

A group of people in society who do the most difficult work, and have the least wealth or power.