Ancient Mesopotamia

a crescent shaped area where one of the first civilizations began. It covers the present day countries of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Israel.

means "the land between the rivers". It is located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in the middle east.

an area of elevated flatland

long periods of dry weather (very little rain)

a water control system that supplies water to the land

farming

Sumerian writing

an independent city that governs itself

a pointed stick used for writing

a Sumerian temple

A group of people who were the first to settle in Mesopotamia. They were the first people to invent the wheel and plow (a tool used for farming). They may have been the first people to discover agriculture and create an irrigation system.

worshiping many gods

worshiping one god

an upside-down u or v shaped structure that supports weight above it, as in a doorway

Simple drawing of a symbol that represents an object

the way a civilization is organized ( such as upper, middle, lower classes)

the use of tools and other inventions for practical purposes

a two-wheeled vehicle pulled by a horse or donkey

a person who reads and writes

a large territory where several groups of people are ruled by a single powerful leader or government

to train a wild animal to be useful to humans

the business of buying and selling or exchanging items

a stringed musical instrument

A group of people who conquered the Sumerians. They had a very famous king named Hammurabi. Hammurabi created nearly 300 laws known as Hammurabi's Code of Laws, the old known legal system based on the concept of "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth".

This group of people was known for their ability to smelt iron. They were the first people to make iron tools and weapons. They conquered the Babylonians and had a nicer legal system than Hammurabi. They were overran by the Assyrians.

This group of people overran the Hittites. Their king Assurbanipal built a magnificent library at Ninevah. They were also known for their extreme cruelty and had many horrible methods of torture, which made many people hate them.

A group of people who developed the religion Zoroasterism. Zoroaster was a Persian religious leader who preached that there was one supreme god, Ahura-Mazda, the god of light. Ahura Mazda was in constant conflict with a god of darkness, who resembled the devil of Christianity. The Persians had a great empire but were eventually conquered by Alexander the Great 331 BC.

This group of people are sometimes called Neo-Babylonians (or Second Babylonian Empire). Their king Nebuchadnezzar II built the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon which was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

A group of people who became great sailors and merchants. They build fine ships from cedar wood and sailed to distant places. There most famous export (item they traded) was purple cloth. They also gave us the first alphabet, a system of writing containing signs that stood for single sounds.

A group of people often referred to as the "father of the Israelites". They developed Judaism (the Jewish religion), a monotheistic religion. They established the Ten Commandments and the Old Testament.

Made up of many interrelated parts

More than neccessary

a type of economy that relies on habit, custom, or ritual and tends not to change over time

Skilled craftsperson

Relatively large in amount

the spread of ideas, customs, and techologies from one people to another

A system of ranking groups

To make sure that something will happen

A long narrative poem, usually about a heroic character and events significant to a culture or nation

a long narrative poem that was first told in Mesopotamia about a hero Gilgamesh