| A | B |
|---|
| Mesopotamia | the area of southwest Asia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers--home to many EARLY civilizations |
| floodplain | flat land bordering a river |
| silt | fine, fertile soil deposited by a river |
| semiarid | having little rainfall and warm temperatures |
| drought | a period of little rainfall and warm temperatures |
| surplus | an amount produced that is more than what is needed |
| fertile | favorable soil for the growth of crops and other plants |
| irrigation | the watering of crops |
| civilization | a human society with an advanced level of develoment in social and political organization and in the arts and sciences |
| Sumer | an ancient region of southern Mesopotamia, in which civilization arose around the year 3,300 B.C. |
| 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 step-like levels |
| polytheism | a religious belief in many gods or goddesses |
| king | the highest-ranking leader of a group of people |
| bronze | a metal that is a mixture of copper and tin |
| pictograph | a picture or drawing that represents a word or idea in an early system of writing |
| stylus | a sharpened reed used to press markings into clay tablets |
| cuneiform | an ancient writing system developed by the sumerians, made up of wedge-shaped markings |
| scribe | a persons who specializes in writing and serves as a record keeper |
| slavery | a system in which people are the property of others, forced to provide work against their will |
| erosion | the wearing away of the Earth's surface or the top layer of soil |
| empire | a group of territories and peoples brought together under one supreme ruler |
| emperor | the ruler of an empire |
| Fertile Crescent | an area of rich soil in the Middle East, stretching from the Mediterranean Sea through Mesopotamia to the Persian Gulf |
| Hammurabi | the ruler of the Babylonian empire from 1792 B.B. to 1750 B.C., who expanded the empire |
| Code of Law | a set of written rules for people to obey |
| justice | fair treatment of people, in keeping with the law |
| exile | a forced removal from one's homeland |
| tribute | a payment of money or goods by one ruler to another in order to ensure protection |
| Hanging Gardens of Babylon | an artifical mountain covered with trees and plants, built by Nebuchadnezzar II for his wife. The gardens are one of the Seven Wonders of the World |
| Anatolia | the peninsula between the Mediterranean and Black Sea that now occupies most of Turkey. It is also known as Asia Monor. |
| toleration | the practice of allowing people to keep their customs and beliefs |
| province | a subdivision of an empire or country |
| satrap | the governor of a province in the ancient Persian Empire. |
| Royal Road | a road for government use built by the ancient Persian ruler Darius, which helped unite the empire. |
