Mesopotamia Study Guide Flashcards
(37 cards)
Agriculture
The business of farming, growing crops and raising animals
Domesticate
To train a wild animal to be useful to humans
Nomad
One who moves from place to place with no permanent home
Trade
The business of buying and selling or exchanging items
Irrigation
A means of supplying land with water
Silt
Fine particles of rock
City-state
An early city that was like a small independent country with its own laws and government
Social Structure
The way a civilization is organized
Scribe
A person who writes
Merchant
A person who makes money by selling goods
Artisan
A crafts person
Cuneiform
Writing that uses wedge shaped characters
Levee
As wall of earth built to prevent a river from flooding its banks
Economy
The way a region of country uses resources to produce a sell or trade goods and services to meet the needs and wants of the people.
Tribute
Wealth sent from one country’s ruler to another as a sign that the other is superior
Empire
A large territory in which several groups of people are ruled by a single leader or government
Capital
A city that is the center of government
Monotheism
They believe in one god
Polytheism
They believe in many gods
What are the 2 rivers around Mesopotamia?
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Why did Mesopotamia get its name?
It means the land between the rivers
Explain the season weather changes in Sumer
It is hot and dry most of the year, except during the spring where it rains a lot
What did the Sumerians invent?
The plow, complex irrigations systems, canals, dams, and reservoirs
They also invented the wheel and the Ark
What were the 5 social classes?
- Priests and Kings
- Scribes and Government officials
- Wealthy Merchants
- Working Class
- Slaves