Section 1
Fertile Crescent - an area of rich farmland in Southwest Asia where the first civilizations began
silt - a mixture of fertile soil and tiny rocks that can make land ideal for farming
irrigation - a way of supplying water to an area of land
canal - a human-made waterway
surplus - more of something than is needed
division of labor - an arrangement in which each worker specializes in a task or job

Section 2
rural - a countryside area
urban - a city area
city-state - a political unit consisting of a city and its surrounding countryside
empire - land with different territories and peoples under a single rule
polytheism - the worship of many gods
priest - a person who performs religious ceremonies
social hierarchy - the division of society by rank or class

Section 3
cuneiform
the world’s first system of writing; developed in Sumer
pictograph - a picture symbol
scribe - a writer
epics - long poems that tell the stories of heroes
architecture - the science of building
ziggurat - a pyramid-shaped tempt in Sumer

Section 4
Hammurabi
a Babylonian king who made a code of 282 laws
monarch
a ruler of a kingdom or empire
(Hint: “mon” means “one.” There could only be one ruler.)
chariot
a wheeled, horse-drawn cart used in battle
Nebuchadnezzar
a famous Chaldean king who rebuilt Babylon into a beautiful city
alphabet
a set of letters that can be combined to form words