1. Key Terms
Ancient History-Concerns the distant past, from the earliest humans through
the first great civilizations.
Archeologists-Dig up the past
Historians-Record the past
Geographers-Map the past
Artifacts-An object made or used by someone in the past
Prehistoric-Before written history
Ritual-Relating to a ceremony, such as a religious ceremony
Stone Age-The time when people used stone for many different things
Paleolithic Age-Old Stone Age
Neolithic Age-New Stone Age
Domesticate-To train a wild animal to be useful to humans
Agriculture-The business of farming
Trade-The business of buying and selling or exchanging items
Ore-a mineral mined for it’s valuable uses
Mesopotamia-(Modern-day Iraq) “The land between he rivers”
Sumer-First civilization
City-States-Each had their own ruler and their own farmland to provide food.
Irrigation Systems-A means of supplying land with water
Sumerians-Ancient people who lived in the geographic region of Sumer
Levee-A wall of Earth built to prevent water fro flooding it’s banks
Culture-Religion, Farming, and how houses are built
Civilization-A group with a very many people and many resources
Social Structure-The way a civilization is organized
Technology-The use of tools and other inventions for practical purposes
Status-Importance
Chariots-A two-wheeled vehicle pulled by a horse
Scribe-A person who writes
Ziggurats-An ancient Mesopotamian temple tower
Arch-An upside-down U-or V-shaped structure that supports weight above it, as
in a doorway
Cuneiform-Writing that uses wedge-shaped characters
Pictographs-A symbol that stands for an object
