1. Ancient Mesopotamia Vocabulary Terms

2. Vocabulary
Sargon: the ruler of Akkad who invaded and conquered Sumer. Criminal law: branch of law that deals with offenses against others; robbery, assault or murder. Civil law: branch of law that deals with private rights and matters. Fertile Crescent: region of the Middle East (mostly modern-day Iraq) named for its rich soil.

3. Vocabulary
Hierarchy: system of ranking groups. Codify: to arrange and set down in writing something that is important. Sumer: one of the world's first civilizations; located in Southeast Mesopotamia.

4. Vocabulary
Ziggurat: a large, stepped platform structures topped with a temple, designed for honoring a city's chief god or goddess.  Hammurabi: the first great king of Babylon. Mesopotamia: "the land between the rivers" in Greek; located between the Tigris and Euphrates River. Cuneiform: one of the earliest forms of writing; invented by the Sumerians.

5. Vocabulary
Nebuchadnezzar: ruler of the new Babylonian Empire; ordered the construction of the Hanging Gardens. Barter economy: an economy in which one set goods and services are exchanged for another. The Epic of Gilgamesh: narrative poem with roots in Sumer; describes a hero's adventures and the great flood that destroyed the world.