1. Chapter 4 Visual Vocabulary

2. Silt: small particle of fertile soil that are left on plains after a flood

3. Irrigation: a system that supplies dry land with water through ditches, pipes or streams

4. Surplus: an amount that is left over after a need has been met

5. City-State: a city that governs itself and the surrounding land

6. Polytheism: a belief in more than one god or goddess

7. Ziggurat: a pyramid-shaped structure with a temple at the top

8. Cuneiform: a system of writing developed by Sumerians that used wedge-shaped marks

9. Scribe: a person who copies or writes documents; a record keeper

10. Epic: a long poem that records the deeds of a legendary hero

11. Empire: a large group of many different lands under one ruler

12. Tribute: forced payment from conquered people

13. Province: a territory governed as a political district of a country or empire (like a state)

14. Caravan: a group of merchants traveling together for safety

15. Astronomers: a person who studies planets and stars