| A | B |
|---|
| Mesopotamia | The land between the rivers |
| Tigris and Euphrates River | The two rivers that created the fertile area where Mesopotamia was located |
| Iraq | The modern country that now exists in the area that was known as Mesopotamia |
| Gilgamesh | A legendary king who ruled Mesopotamia |
| Sargon I | The Akkadian King who united Mesopotamia into an Empire |
| Mud Brick | The innovation that allowed Mesopotamians to make permanent dwelling places |
| Bedouin | Nomadic people |
| Hunter/Gatherer | The way people followed animals and food plants to survive |
| Cuneiform | The wedge shaped writing system developed by the Mesopotamians |
| Stylus | The tool made out of a reed that was used to write in Cuneiform on clay tablets |
| Plow | A Mesopotamian innovation that helped people break apart the soil and prepare it for planting/farming |
| Domestication | Taming animals |
| Cultivation | Planting and tending to crops |
| Sailboat | A Mesopotamian innovation that created transportation along the rivers |
| Cylinder Seal | A Mesopotamian innovation that gave everyone a way to sign their name; similar to a circular stamp |
| Cartography | A Mesopotamian innovation that helped people understand location |
| Wheel | A Mesopotamian innovation that was originally used for pottery, but later got used for transportation |
| Chariot | A Mesopotamian innovation that was used to harness animals to a cart and pull people; used heavily for transport of troops and war |
| City-State | When a city controls the land around it and acts like its own country |
| Theocracy | When government and religion are tied closely together |
| Polytheistic | Believing in many gods |
| Ziggurat | The name of the Mesopotamian temple |
| Other Names for Mesopotamia | Fertile Crescent and the Cradle of Civilization |
| Priest-King | Someone who is both the leader of the country and the leader of the religion |
| Archeologist | Someone who studies artifacts and ruins to learn about historic cultures |
| Artifacts | Things that can be found (bowls, jewelry, etc.) that give us clues about historic people and cultures |
| Sumer | The first people to settle in Mesopotamia |
| Akkadians | The people who conquered the Sumerians and created a large Mesopotamian Empire |
| Canal | A Mesopotamian innovation that rerouted water and helped control flooding |
| Flooding | In Mesopotamia flooding was often unpredictable and it was one of the most difficult challenges to face |
| Levees | A Mesopotamian innovation that meant building up the sides of the river to help control flooding |
| Dams | A Mesopotamian innovation that meant stopping the flow of the river in certain places to help control flooding |
| Barter | To trade one item for another item |
| Agriculture | Farming |
| Irrigation Systems | Ways the Mesopotamians worked to make sure their crops were watered; these included canals, levees, and dams |
| Silt | The fertile soil left after floods that helped to grow crops |
| Monarchy | A form of a government where there is a king or queen |
| Monarch | The king or queen of a nation |
| Empire | When several small countries are conquered and joined together under one ruler |
| Hammurabi | The Babylonian King who created the first written set of laws |
| Scribe | The people whose job it was to write and record things |
