Mesopotamia Sumerians

silt - fine soil found on river bottoms

irrigation - supplying land with water through a network of canals

surplus - a situation in which quantity supplied is greater than quantity demanded

Fertile Crescent - An area of fertile land in the Middle East stretching in a broad semicircle from the Nile to the Tigris and Euphrates

nomad - a person who moves from place to place

city-state - a city with political and economic control over the surrounding countryside.

polytheism - belief in many gods and goddesses

Tigris River - a river in southwestern Asia that flows through the eastern part of the Fertile Crescent

Euphrates River - a river in southwestern Asia that flows through the southern part of the Fertile Crescent.

theocracy a system of government in which priests rule in the name of God or a god.

ziggurat a pyramid shaped temple tower

monotheism belief in one god

scribe a person who writes things down