Ch. 3 Mesopotamia Vocab

1. – The belief in many gods.
5. (Sin) – Moon god.
7. – The world’s first system of writing, developed by the Sumerians.
9. – A person trained to write and keep records.
10. – A pyramid-shaped temple tower dedicated to a city’s chief god.
12. – A land with different territories and peoples under one rule.
14. – Religious leaders who performed ceremonies and had great influence.
17. – A legendary Sumerian king and hero of epic stories.
20. Code – A set of 282 laws created by King Hammurabi, one of the first written legal codes.
21. – A city and the surrounding land it controls; the basic political unit of Sumer.
23. – A wheeled, horse-drawn cart used in battle.
25. hierarchy – The division of society by rank or class.
27. – Supplying water to land through channels, ditches, or pipes.
29. – Famous Chaldean king who rebuilt Babylon.
30. – City areas with larger populations and more complex structures.
31. – God of air and storms, very powerful.

2. – Akkadian ruler who created the world’s first empire.
3. – A ruler of a kingdom or empire.
4. Crescent – A large arc of rich farmland in Southwest Asia where the first civilizations developed.
6. – Fine fertile soil carried by rivers, ideal for farming.
8. (Shamash) – Sun god, associated with justice.
11. – A set of letters that represent sounds, first developed by the Phoenicians.
13. – Long poems that tell the stories of heroes.
15. (Ea) – God of wisdom, creation, and fresh water.
16. – Extra supply of food or goods.
18. – Countryside areas with farmland and small villages.
19. – A strong effect or influence.
21. – Human-made waterways built to control river flow and aid irrigation.
22. – The science of building structures.
24. – Picture symbols that represent words or ideas.
26. – A part played by a person or thing in society.
28. (Ishtar) – Goddess of love, war, and fertility.