Empire City-States: Sumerians and Babylonians

Sumerians

People who lived in the city-states of Sumer.

BCE

Before Common Era

Ur

One of the city-states in Sumer.

Uruk

One of the city-states in Sumer.

Akkadians

Non-Sumerian people who lived to the northwest of Sumer.

Sargon

An Akkadian king who created the Akkadian Empire.

Akkadian Empire

The world's first empire, created by Sargon.

Cuneiform

Worlds first writing system used by both Akkadians and Sumerians.

Zagros Mountain

Mountains east of the Tigris River.

Babylonians

People who lived in Babylon, the center of the Mesopotamian Empire.

Hammurabi

King of Babylon who created Hammurabi's Codes.

Hammurabi's Codes

A set of written laws created by Hammurabi, but his justice was not always fair.

Euphrates River

on the west.

Stone and bronze sculptures

Artistic works created by Babylonian artists.

Textiles

Cloth made from collected and woven wool.

Hammurabi's Empire

which was Babylonian collapsed after Hammurabi's death.

Ancient Mesopotamia created items that benefited agriculture

the plow and the wheel

Ancient Mesopotamia was polytheistic

and believed that the gods controlled every aspect of life.