MesopotamiaBy: Madison Eley and Summer Jones

Fertile crescent- A large arc of rich or fertile farm land.

Silt-a mixture of rich soil and tiny rocks. Irrigation-a way of supplying water to an area

of land. Canals-human-made waterways. Surplus-more than needed. Division of Labor- the type of agreement in

which each work specializes. City-state- consisted of a city and all the

countryside around it. Empire- land with territories and people under

single rule.

Vocabulary

Polytheism- the worship of many gods. Priest- people who perform religion ceremonies. Social hierarchy- the division of society by rank and

class. Cuneiform- the world’s first system of writing. Pictographs- picture symbols. Scribe- a writer. Epics- long poems that tell stories of Heros. Ziggurat- a pyramid shaped temple. Monarch- the ruler of a kingdom or empire. Hammurabi’s code- the set of 282 laws that dealt

with everyday life.

More vocab.

Mesopotamia is a Greek word meaning “Between the rivers”.

The two rivers are the Tigris and Euphrates. The Euphrates also flows through much of

Syria. Mesopotamia is made up of many regions. Northern Mesopotamia is made up of hills and

plains. Southern Mesopotamia is made up of marshy

areas. Mesopotamia was on a fertile crescent.

Geography

Hammurabi- He was the leader of Babylonia.

He had harsh rules and punishments.

He had a set of 282 laws.

Gilgamesh- He was the first “superhero” in ancient Sumer.

Leaders/ Important people

Ancient Sumer invented the sailboat and the wheel.

Contributions of the Civilization

Assyrians gained control of Babylonia. Assyria regained their strength and began to

conquer the fertile crescent. They even took over some parts of Asia Minor

and Egypt.

Conflict