COMBINED: Sumerians and Geography of Mesopotamia 2023

Mesopotamia

"land between the rivers"; an area of rich soil in the Middle East between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.

City-state

a city that governs itself and its surrounding territory; sometimes they fought one another, other times they traded with each other

Artisan

a worker who is skilled in making a particular product by hand

Scribe

a person who copies or writes out documents; often a record keeper

Ziggurat

a pyramid-shaped structure with a temple at the top; each city-state worshipped their own special god in one

Epic

a long poem that records the deeds of a legendary or real hero

Cuneiform

a system of writing developed by the Sumerians that used wedge-shaped marks made in soft clay

Silt

fine particles of fertile soil

Irrigation

a system that supplies dry land with water through ditches, pipes, or streams

Surplus

an amount of something left over after a need has been met

Polytheism

belief in more than one god; Sumerians believed in over 3000 gods!

Fertile Crescent

an area of rich farmland in Southwest Asia where the first civilizations began

Sumer

The world's first civilization, founded in southern Mesopotamia, circa 3000 BC

Wall

Each city-state was surrounded by a large one of these

Social classes

In Sumer, there were upper, middle and lower

Gilgamesh

A legendary Sumerian king of Uruk who was the hero of an epic

Inventions

wheel, sail, plow, bronze

Astronomy

The study of the moon, stars, and other objects in space; Sumerians used this to learn the best times to plant crops

Bartering

the direct exchange of goods or services for other goods or services without using money

Caspian Sea

A large saltwater lake between Iran and Russia; world's largest inland body of water located between Europe and Asia

Mediterranean Sea

This body of Water separates Europe and Africa

Persian Gulf

Body of water surrounded by the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq and Iran

Tigris River

A river in southwestern Asia that flows through the eastern part of the Fertile Crescent

Euphrates River

A river in southwestern Asia that flows through the southern part of the Fertile Crescent.

Red Sea

This body of water separates the Arabian Peninsula from Africa.

Zagros Mountains

Mountains bordering the eastern boundary of Ancient Mesopotamia

Taurus Mountains

Mountains in northern Mesopotamia

Syrian Desert

A desert in Southwest Asia covering much of the Arabian Peninsula between the Mediterranean coast and the Euphrates River.

Arabian Desert

A desert on the Arabian Peninsula in southwestern Asia; largest sand desert in the world

Black Sea

This body of water is North of present-day Turkey, between Europe and Asia