1. Vocabulary Review and Study Guide
Fertile Crescent
Vocabulary Review and Study Guide

2. Civilization
Definition: GREATS – government, religion, economics, agriculture/artisans (division of labor), technology, social classes
Connect: Mesopotamia in the Fertile Crescent was the first civilization.

3. irrigation
Definition: supplying land with water through a network of canals (ditches)
Connect: Fertile Crescent farmers used irrigation to water crops.

4. scribe Definition: professional writer
Connect: Fertile Crescent scribes used cuneiform to record history, business, laws, stories, etc.

5. Cuneiform /kyo͞oˈnēəˌfôrm/
Definition: wedge-shaped writing of the Mesopotamians that originally began as pictographs
Connect: Fertile Crescent scribes used cuneiform to record history, business, laws, stories, etc.

6. City-state
Definition: area with its own traditions, laws, and government
Connect: Fertile Crescent was divided into city-states.

7. polytheism Definition: belief in many gods
Connect: Sumerians believed in many gods/goddesses.

8. monotheism Definition: Belief in one God
Connect: Abraham taught the people of the Fertile Crescent about one God.

9. famine Definition: period of time with little food (starvation)
Connect: Some Fertile Crescent people (Israelites) traveled to Egypt during the famine.

10. Producer Definition: someone who makes a product or provides a service
Connect: The ancient Mesopotamians produced chariots using the wheel.

11. Consumer Definition: someone who uses a product or services
Connect: Mesopotamians ate a lot
of the grain they grew.

12. Primary Source
Definition: original artifacts, writings, buildings, etc. that were from/created at an event or time period
Connect: Hammurabi’s Code written in cuneiform is an example.

13. Secondary Source
Definition: replicas or retellings of artifacts, writings, buildings from an event or time period; things created LATER than that time in history
Connect: The Our World textbook is an example of information as a secondary source.

14. Science/Technology Accomplishments
Levees to control flooding (wall to block water)
Irrigation/Canals to control flooding (ditches to bring water to crops)
dividing the sky into 12 parts; zodiac
calendar (12-month) – predicting the flooding of rivers
multiplication table
wheel
Chariot, battering ram
System of writing (cuneiform)
water clock
architecture – ziggurats, arch, etc.
potter’s wheel
Glass
math – base 10, base 60, place value, number zero
60-minute hour
Baked-brick ovens
Stringed musical instruments (probably!)
Trousers
Plow; Using animals to pull the plow
First chemists

15. Hammurabi’s Code What was Hammurabi’s Code? code of laws
Why was it important?
united city-states with common laws
first to be written down and posted (hung up)

16. Trade Barriers City-states were often in war with each other
Why did some city-states have trouble trading with each other sometimes?
City-states were often in war with each other
Some city-states were too far apart
Some city-states were separated by water or desert

17. Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Give three reasons to support the opinion: The Tigris and Euphrates rivers were important to the Fertile Crescent.
water for crops
flooding brought nutrients to soil
Trade/transportation

18. Religion Judaism Islam Abraham Muhammad Torah Qur’an (Koran) synagogue
Who Started:
Abraham
Muhammad
Important Book:
Torah
Qur’an (Koran)
Place of worship:
synagogue
mosque
Monotheism or Polytheism
monotheism

19. CHRISTIANITY
FOUNDER - Jesus
IMPORTANT BOOK - Bible
PLACE OF WORSHIP – church or anywhere
MONOTHESISM – only one God

20. MAP Map: Be able to label 1. Tigris River 2. Euphrates River
3. Mediterranean Sea
4. Mesopotamia
5. Fertile Crescent

21. Shade Fertile Crescent

22. Tigris River Euphrates River Mediterranean Sea Mesopotamia

23. REVIEW What geographical feature did most civilizations develop by?
RIVERS!

24. Surplus Why is a surplus of food necessary to develop a civilization?
surplus of food allows time for people to specialize
specializing produces more advanced technology and trade