World History: 2. Civilizations and Peoples of the Fertile Crescent, Lessons 1–2

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  1. fertile
    marked by great fruitfulness
    The Fertile Crescent is a region of the Middle East that stretches in a large, crescent-shaped curve from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea.
  2. crescent
    a curved shape tapers at the ends
    The Fertile Crescent is a region of the Middle East that stretches in a large, crescent-shaped curve from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea.
  3. irrigate
    supply with water, as with channels or ditches or streams
    The Sumerians used technology to irrigate, or supply water to, their crops.
  4. city-state
    an independent nation comprised of a single town
    A city-state is an independent state that includes a city and its surrounding territory.
  5. barter
    exchange goods without involving money
    Barter is a trading system in which people exchange goods directly without using money.
  6. distinct
    not alike; different in nature or quality
    People of each class had distinct roles within Sumerian society.
  7. polytheism
    belief in multiple gods
    Like most ancient peoples, the Sumerians practiced polytheism, the belief in more than one god.
  8. prosper
    make steady progress
    As a result, Sumerians felt that they needed to keep the gods happy in order for their cities to grow and prosper.
  9. ziggurat
    a rectangular tiered temple or terraced mound
    In larger Sumerian cities, temples were pyramid-shaped brick towers known as ziggurats.
  10. cuneiform
    an ancient wedge-shaped script used in Mesopotamia
    Cuneiform is a system of writing that uses triangular-shaped symbols to stand for words, ideas, or sounds.
  11. empire
    the domain ruled by a single authoritative sovereign
    An empire is a state containing several countries or territories.
  12. ally
    a friendly nation
    An ally is an independent state that works with other states to achieve a shared military or political goal.
  13. cultural
    distinctive of the ways of living of a group of people
    A cultural trait is an idea or way of doing things that is common in a certain culture.
  14. trait
    a distinguishing feature of your personal nature
    A cultural trait is an idea or way of doing things that is common in a certain culture.
  15. abundant
    present in great quantity
    While the Fertile Crescent provided abundant crops, it had few trees and did not provide any minerals.
  16. govern
    direct or strongly influence the behavior of
    Hammurabi's Code was more detailed than Ur-Nammu's law code. In fact, it was the first major attempt to organize and write down all the laws that governed a society.
Created on Mon Jun 28 13:47:38 EDT 2021 (updated Fri Jul 02 10:32:27 EDT 2021)

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