The Middle East

2. A method of transporting water to agricultural fields using canals and other systems.
3. Belief in and worship of multiple deities.
6. A monumental, pyramid-shaped temple used for religious ceremonies and administrative functions in Sumerian city-states.
8. A prolonged period with insufficient rainfall, leading to water scarcity and crop failure.
9. An alloy of copper and tin, used for creating more durable tools and weapons.
10. Payments or goods given by conquered peoples to their rulers as a sign of submission or allegiance.
12. An independent urban center and its surrounding territories that function as a political unit.
13. Flat land bordering the banks of a river, prone to flooding and beneficial for agriculture due to nutrient-rich soil.
14. An excess amount of goods, such as grain, used for trade or storage.

1. A political structure that unites various lands and peoples under one ruler or government.
4. Fine, fertile soil deposited by rivers, ideal for farming.
5. A writing system using pictures or symbols to represent objects or ideas.
7. An ancient system of writing developed by the Sumerians using wedge-shaped marks made in clay.
11. A sharpened reed used to inscribe wedge-shaped symbols into clay, foundational in the development of writing systems like cuneiform.
12. A formalized set of rules or laws, as exemplified by Hammurabi's Code in Babylon.