The Fertile Cresent
the two major rivers in the fertile crescent
significance of Sumer to World History
world’s first civilization
Define caravan
multiple people/parties travelling together
define monarchy
society ruled by a king or queen
Another name for Mesopotamia
-Fertile Cresent
-Land Between Two Rivers
a challenge of farming
-Yearly floods could be dangerous and wash away crops or even whole villages
-Little rain in the summer months
-Nomads can be a problem
King Hammurabi's claim to fame
writing a law code
inventions that related to trade
-caravan
-wheel
-sail
Ancient written language of Sumer
Cuneiform
Ziggurat
The reason Mesopotamia's soil was so fertile
-floods
-rain
-melting snow
The thing laws give to a civilization
-order
-safety
-justice
The reason Mesopotamian cities grew into trading centers
surplus of food
Definition of polytheism
More than one god
People who ruled Sumer
Kings
two techniques that made Mesopotamia productive farmland
Irrigation and the plow
middle class
The two things the Assyrians were really good at
1. War
2. Trade
The person who writes stuff down
scribe
The two systems that created order in Mesopotamia
Division of Labor
Social Hierarchy
Mesopotamia's modern name (the country today)
-Iraq
-Kuwait
Creator of the world's first empier
Sargon the Great
Major trading partner of the Mesopotamians
Egyptians
Importance of gods and goddesses
-Dealt with nature and daily life
-Controlled different parts of life
Where did Hammurabi center his empire
Babylon