Ancient Civilizations Vocabulary

Write the definitions down on your own sheet of paper or in

your notebook.

Ancient Civilizations Vocabulary

• 1. Invention- a device or process that did not exist before

• 2. Civilization- a large group of people with a highly organized society

• 3. Trader- someone whose business is buying and selling goods

• 4. Slave- a person who is owned by someone else

Ancient Civilizations Vocabulary

• 5. Merchant- a person who buys and sells goods

• 6. Irrigation- the use of streams, ditches, canals, and other means to woater crops in place of rainfall

• 7. Cuneiform- wedge-shaped writing developed in Sumer

• 8. Government – the system by which a country or state is governed

Ancient Civilizations Vocabulary

• 9. City-state- a city and surrounding land that make up an independent state, with its own ruler, army, and laws

• 10. Trade- the exchange of money, goods, and services

• 11. Law- a rule to regulate the way people act• 12. Class- a group to which certain people in

society belong

Ancient Civilizations Vocabulary

• 13. Religion- belief in and worship of a god or gods

• 14. Temple- a building used for religious practices

• 15. Priest- person authorized to perform the sacred rights of a religion

• 16. Astronomy- the study of the sun, moon, planets, and stars

Ancient Civilizations Vocabulary

• 17. Geography- the location and physical features of an area

• 18. Arch- a curved structure that supports the weight of materials above it

• 19. Column- a slender upright structure that supports part of a building

• 20. Map- a flat drawing or chart of part of the earth’s surface