Sumerians-Vocabulary

Artisan

A person skilled at making things by hand.

City-State

A self governing unit made up of a city and its surrounding lands and settlements; a city that controls the surrounding villages and towns.

Cuneiforms

The earliest form of writing invented by the Sumerians.

Empire

A group of different lands and people governed by one ruler.

Famine

An extreme lack of crops or food, causing widespread hunger.

Irrigation

The supply of water to fields using human made systems.

Polytheism

A belief of many gods.

Ritual

A formal series of acts always performed in the same way; a religious ceremony.

Silt

An especially fine and fertile soil.

Social class

A category of people based on wealth or status in a society.

Tribute

A tax paid or goods and services rendered in return for protection.

Ziggurat

A pyramid shaped temple in Sumerian city-states.