Ancient Mesopotamia

Fertile Crescent

a crescent shaped area where one of the first civilizations began. It covers the present day countries of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Israel.

Mesopotamia

means "the land between the rivers". It is located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in the middle east.

Plateau

an area of elevated flatland

Droughts

long periods of dry weather (very little rain)

Irrigation System

a water control system that supplies water to the land

Agriculture

farming

Cuneiform

Sumerian writing

City-state

an independent city that governs itself

Stylus

a pointed stick used for writing

Ziggurat

a Sumerian temple

Sumerians

A group of people who were the first to settle in Mesopotamia. They were the first people to invent the wheel and plow (a tool used for farming). They may have been the first people to discover agriculture and create an irrigation system.

Polytheistic

worshiping many gods

Monotheistic

worshiping one god

Arch

an upside-down u or v shaped structure that supports weight above it, as in a doorway

Pictograph

Simple drawing of a symbol that represents an object

Social Structure

the way a civilization is organized ( such as upper, middle, lower classes)

Technology

the use of tools and other inventions for practical purposes

Chariot

a two-wheeled vehicle pulled by a horse or donkey

Scribe

a person who reads and writes

Empire

a large territory where several groups of people are ruled by a single powerful leader or government

Domesticate

to train a wild animal to be useful to humans

Trade

the business of buying and selling or exchanging items

Lyre

a stringed musical instrument

Babylonians

A group of people who conquered the Sumerians. They had a very famous king named Hammurabi. Hammurabi created nearly 300 laws known as Hammurabi's Code of Laws, the old known legal system based on the concept of "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth".

Hittites

This group of people was known for their ability to smelt iron. They were the first people to make iron tools and weapons. They conquered the Babylonians and had a nicer legal system than Hammurabi. They were overran by the Assyrians.

Assyrians

This group of people overran the Hittites. Their king Assurbanipal built a magnificent library at Ninevah. They were also known for their extreme cruelty and had many horrible methods of torture, which made many people hate them.

Persians

A group of people who developed the religion Zoroasterism. Zoroaster was a Persian religious leader who preached that there was one supreme god, Ahura-Mazda, the god of light. Ahura Mazda was in constant conflict with a god of darkness, who resembled the devil of Christianity. The Persians had a great empire but were eventually conquered by Alexander the Great 331 BC.

Chaldeans

This group of people are sometimes called Neo-Babylonians (or Second Babylonian Empire). Their king Nebuchadnezzar II built the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon which was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Phonecians

A group of people who became great sailors and merchants. They build fine ships from cedar wood and sailed to distant places. There most famous export (item they traded) was purple cloth. They also gave us the first alphabet, a system of writing containing signs that stood for single sounds.

Hebrews

A group of people often referred to as the "father of the Israelites". They developed Judaism (the Jewish religion), a monotheistic religion. They established the Ten Commandments and the Old Testament.

Complex

Made up of many interrelated parts

Surpluses

More than neccessary

Traditional economy

a type of economy that relies on habit, custom, or ritual and tends not to change over time

Artisan

Skilled craftsperson

Significant

Relatively large in amount

Cultural Diffusion

the spread of ideas, customs, and techologies from one people to another

Hierarchy

A system of ranking groups

Ensure

To make sure that something will happen

Epic

A long narrative poem, usually about a heroic character and events significant to a culture or nation

Epic of Gilgamesh

a long narrative poem that was first told in Mesopotamia about a hero Gilgamesh