Unit 2 Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent Key terms and people

Key Terms and People Fertile Crescent – a large arc of rich (fertile) farmland Silt – a mixture of rich soil and tiny rocks Irrigation – a way of supplying water

Key Terms and People Canals – human made waterways Surplus – more than needed Division of Labor – type of arrangement in which each worker specializes in a particular task or job

Key Terms and People Sargon – Akkadian Emperor who was one of the first rulers to have a permanent army Empire – land with different territories and peoples under a single rule

Key Terms and People Rural – countryside areas Urban – city City-State – consisted of a city and all the countryside around it Gilgamesh – one of the Unuk’s kings who became a figure in Sumerian literature; “The Epic of Gilgamesh”

Key Terms and People Cuneiform – the world’s first system of writing Pictographs – picture symbols Scribe - writer

Key Terms and People Polytheism – the worship of many gods Priest – people who preformed religious ceremonies Social hierarchy – the division of society by rank or class Impact – effect, result

Key Terms and People Epics – long poem that tells the story of heroes Architecture – the science of building Ziggurat – pyramid shaped temple tower

Key Terms and People Monarch – a ruler of a kingdom or empire Hammurabi’s Code – a set of 282 laws that dealt with almost every part of daily life Chariot – a wheeled horse drawn cart used in battle

Key Terms and People Nebuchadnezzar – Chaldean King who rebuilt Babylon into a beautiful city with hanging gardens Alphabet – a set of letters that can be combined to form words