Mesopotamia Critical Vocabulary

Mesopotamia From the Greek meaning "land between the rivers“) is the area of the Tigris and Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern Iraq where civilization began.

Agriculture The raising of domesticated animals and plants to provide a steady supply of food. (i.e.: farming)

Agricultural Revolution When a civilization recognized the ability to stay in one place and survive from the planted ground. As a result we see…. Growth of the family Towns and cities Domesticated animals New technology

Artifact An artifact can be any object made or modified by humans which then tells what those people were like.

BC/AD Timeline A graphic organizer or outline that illustrates events in chronological order.

City-States The territory of the city-state corresponds to the city limits and has one government that is independent from any other government entity, i.e. Athens or Sumer.

Civilizations A civilization is a society or culture group normally defined as a complex society characterized by the practice of agriculture and settlement in towns and cities.

Class System Groups of people having the same social, economic, or educational status.

Code of Hammurabi One of the first known written set of laws in history written by King Hammurabi in Mesopotamia.

It is the way a civilization of people… Culture It is the way a civilization of people… Talk Sing Dance Worship Recreation …or the way people live.

Cuneiform Cuneiform is the one of the world’ first known written languages. This began as pictographs by the Sumerians of Mesopotamia.

Domestication Domestication is the taming of a population of animals or plants that become accustomed to an environment such as a farm.

Empire An empire is an extensive group of states or ethnic peoples united and ruled over by a single monarch or ruling authority.

Language  Communication of thoughts and feelings through a system of arbitrary signals, such as voice sounds, gestures, or written symbols.

Nebuchadnezzar The king of Babylon in Mesopotamia who built the Hanging Gardens for his wife.

Specialization Specialization is the separation of tasks within a system or civilization. Farmers grow crops, bakers make bread, potters make pottery and then trade or sell their goods for the things they do not have.

Settlement Settlements are the places where people settled to build permanent homes. This was the beginning of villages and towns and “urban development.”

Technology The tools that we use to make life easier.

Traditions refers to beliefs, objects or customs performed or believed in in the past, originating in it, transmitted through time by being taught by one generation to the next.