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Mesopotamia Key Concepts
A list of several concepts of ancient Mesopotamia and their definitions
42
History
8th Grade
10/11/2010

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Term
Mesopotamia
Definition
an ancient country in what is now Iraq; one of the five ancient nuclear civilizations
Term
heterogeneous
Definition
having more than one kind of people or culture-Mesopotmia became this due to its location and popularity
Term
Fertile Crescent
Definition
an area of land in the Middle East that has optimal farming land in the middle of the desert-Mesopotamia was in it
Term
hydraulic
Definition
something that is powered or controlled by water-the Mesopotamians' irrigation system was this type of system
Term
city-state
Definition
an area of land governed by a central city, loosely joined with othes to form Mesopotamia
Term
ziggurat
Definition
a man-made hill that supported the temple of a c-s’s patron god and was the highest point in the city-state
Term
deity
Definition
a god-the Mesopotamians worshipped many of them
Term
autocracy
Definition
a system of government where one man wields total power
Term
kingship
Definition
th rank of a monarch
Term
preist
Definition
a person who has devoted their life to religion and tries their best to appease their god(s)
Term
monarchy
Definition
a government where a king or queen has most of the political power
Term
theocracy
Definition
a religion-based government
Term
succession
Definition
the order of who inherits power or posessions-it was vague in Mesopotamia
Term
dynasty
Definition
a royal family that rules for several generations-usually, the eldest child would inherit the throne, which would create this
Term
paternalistic
Definition
having father-like qualitites-Hammurabi and Sargon I had this quality
Term
legitimize
Definition
to make something legal-the preists did this to the king's power in exchange for their own power and wealth
Term
polytheism
Definition
the belief in multiple gods-the Mesopotamians were this
Term
pantheon
Definition
the collective term for all of the gods of a civilization
Term
public religion
Definition
a religion that is funded by the state and had the attendance of every member in the community
Term
anthropomorphic
Definition
human-like: most of the Mesopotamian gods were this
Term
zoomorphic
Definition
animal-like: some of the Mesopotamian gods were this
Term
sacrifice
Definition
the ritual killing of an animal in the name of god(s) done in order to appease god(s): they were commonplace at festivals and worships in Mesopotamia
Term
divination
Definition
the telling or finding of omens and/or the future: the preists in Mesopotamia could supposedly use it by casting lots or obseving bird flocks
Term
economy
Definition
the financial system in a state: the one in the Mesopotamian city-states fluctuated due to the frequently-changing empires
Term
commoners
Definition
regular people: lower merchants and artisans and minor landowners
Term
barter
Definition
to trade goods for other goods instead of trading money
Term
payment-in-kind
Definition
paying for something with goods or services
Term
artisan
Definition
a person who specializes in making somethign, such as furniture or pottery
Term
clients
Definition
in Mesopotamia, similar to sharecroppers
Term
nobles
Definition
the family of royalty
Term
elites
Definition
the dominant, usually most exclusive and therefore smallest, group in a society
Term
surplus
Definition
an excess of a certain material
Term
social stratification
Definition
the hierarchy of economical and political power in a society
Term
metallurgy
Definition
the science and use of metals
Term
bronze
Definition
a very durable metal made from copper and tin: a very important invention in Mesopotamia due to its optimal weapon use
Term
empire
Definition
a huge area of land ruled by a single person
Term
Semites
Definition
a linguistic group that migrated from the Arabian Peninsula to the area in between Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean Sea
Term
invasion
Definition
a mass attempt to take over an area of land
Term
Indo-Europeans
Definition
a large group of people that impacted the history of Mesopotmia, India, the Middle East and Europe; migrated from the Russian steppes and settled all over Eurasia
Term
migration
Definition
a huge movement of entities from one place to another
Term
Sargon I
Definition
the ruler and unifier of the Akkadians; dominated he Sumerian Empire and created the first "real" empire in Mesopotmia; created the tribute system
Term
Hammurabi
Definition
the ruler of the Amorites and the founder of the Babylonian Empire; became known for his law code that combined many different peoples' into one; helped to unify Mesopotamia
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