Mesopotamia Vocabulary

These are the vocabulary words for Ancient Mesopotamia: 

Sumer: 

• An area in the southern region of Babylonia in present-day Iraq; site of the Sumerian civilization of city-states that flowered during the third millennium BC.

Sumerians: 

• A member of a people who inhabited ancient Sumer
• of or relating to ancient Sumer or its inhabitants

City of Nippur: 

• City in Ancient Mesopotamia on the Euphrates. 

Nissaba: 

• A Sumerian first name 

Journal: 

• A daily written record of (usually personal) experiences and observations. 

Nomads:  

• A member of a people who have no permanent home but move about according to the seasons

Farming: 

• Working the land as an occupation or way of life
• The practice of cultivating the land or raising stock

Livestock: 

• Animals kept or raised; especially : farm animals kept for use and profit 

Tame: 

• To bring under control
• To subject to cultivation. ex: “wilderness tamed by farmers”

Domestication: 

• To adapt to living with human beings and to serving their purposes 

Fertile: 

• Producing vegetation or crops plentifully. ex: “fertile farmland” synonym: Rich 

Banks: 

• The rising ground at the edge of a lake, river, or sea. ex: “the river banks”  

Flood:  

• Great flow of water that rises and spreads over the land

Barley: 

• A cereal grass with flowers in dense spikes. 

Wheat: 

• A cereal grain that can be made into a fine white flour used mostly in breads, baked goods (as cakes and crackers), and pasta as (as macaroni or spaghetti) and that is used in animal feeds.

Ancestor: 

• One from whom an individual, group, or species is descended.

Unpredictable: 

• Not occurring at expected times
• Unknown in advance. ex “an unpredictable future”
• Impossible to foretell

Levees: 

• A bank built along a river to prevent flooding
• A landing place along a river 

Ditch: 

• A long narrow channel or trench dug in the earth. ex: “Gated ditches” 

Plow: 

• A farm machine used to cut, lift, and turn over soil. ex: “The cow pulls the plow” 

Zodiac: 

• An imaginary belt in the heavens that includes the apparent paths of most of the planets and is divided into 12 star groups or signs
• A figure showing the signs of the zodiac 

Priest:

• A person who has the authority to lead or perform religious ceremonies 

City-state: 

• A self-governing state consisting of a city and surrounding territory 

Village: 

• A place somewhat smaller than a town

Ziggurat: 

• Ancient Mesopotamian temple

Merchants: 

• A buyer and seller of goods for profit; especially one who carries on trade on a large scale or with foreign countries.

Craftspeople: 

• Workers who practice a trade or craft.

Household: 

• Those who live as a family in one house; also : a social unit made up of those living together in the same house 

Chores: 

• The regular light work of a household or farm
• An ordinary task
• A dull, unpleasant, or difficult task

Weave:  

• To form by lacing together strands of material; especially to make on a loom by lacing together threads going lengthwise with threads going crosswise. Ex: “weave cloth”
•  To form into a fabric. Ex: “weave wool into tweeds” 

Yarn: 

• A natural or manufactured fiber (as cotton or wool) formed as a continuous strand for use in knitting or weaving.

Tablet:  

• A flat slab suited for an inscription.

Scribe: 

• A person who copies manuscripts. 

Burden: 

• Something carried. Synonym: Load
• Something taken as a duty or responsibility. Ex: “tax burdens”

Irrigation: 

• Act or process of watering crops in the field