| A | B |
| Fertile Crescent | Area of rich farm land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers where the first civilizations emerged |
| Mesopotamia | Region in the Fertile Crescent where the first civilization began; means "the land between the two river" |
| City-state | Ancient area with its own government and culture |
| Sumer | Mesopotamian city-state |
| Ziggurat | Mesopotamian pyramid shaped structure used for religious ceremonies |
| Cunieform | The first form of writing that people used |
| Akkad | Mesopotamian city-state; considered to be the world's first empire around 2334 B.C. |
| Empire | Large area full of city-states controlled by one ruler |
| Babylon | An ancient Mesopotamian empire, which emerged around 1894 B.C. |
| Hammurabi | One of Bablyon's most powerful kings; famous for developing the Hammurabi Code |
| Hammurabi Code | A collection of 228 Ancient Babylonian laws; considered the first set of laws ever written down |
| Assyrian Empire | An ancient Mesopotamian empire, which emerged around 1900 B.C.; located in the northern part of Mesopotamia |
| Gilgamesh | An ancient Mesopotamian king, which the Epic of Gilgamesh was named after |
| Epic of Gilgamesh | An ancient Babylonian poem; considered one of the first poems ever written |
| Irrigation | A man made way of watering crops |
| Artisian | A skilled worker of a single job |
| Scribe | Someone who has learned to read and write so that they can keep records |
| Sargon | King of the Akkadians; he set up the world's first empire |