| A | B |
|---|
| Mesopotamia | the region between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers |
| floodplain | the flat land bordering a river |
| silt | the fine soil deposited (left) by floodwaters |
| semiarid | having little rainfall and warm temperatures |
| drought | period of little rainfall |
| surplus | an amount of a good, such as food, in excess (more) of what is needed |
| civilization | an advanced form of culture |
| Sumer | an ancient region of southern Mesopotamia |
| city-state | a political unit that includes a city and its nearby farmlands |
| ziggurat | an ancient Sumerian or Babylonian temple that rose in a series of steplike levels |
| polytheism | a belief in many gods or goddesses |
| king | the leader of a group of people |
| pictograph | a picture or drawing that represents a word or an idea |
| stylus | a sharpened reed used to press markings into clay tablets |
| cuneiform | a type of writing made up of wedge-shaped markings |
| scribe | a person who specializes in writing and serves as a record keeper |
| empire | a collection of many peoples and lands under the control of one ruler |
| emperor | the ruler of an empire |
| Fertile Crescent | a region that stretches from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf |
| Hammurabi | the ruler of the Babylonian Empire from 1792 to 1750 B.C. |
| code of law | a set of written rules |
| justice | fair treatment of people |
| exile | forced removal from one's homeland |
| tribute | money paid to a conquering ruler for protectin |
| toleration | acceptance of habits, beliefs, and practices of others |
| province | a political division of a country |
| satrap | a Persian governor |
| Royal Road | a road in Persia used for government purposes |
