Word Wall Unit 2 Mesopotamia Stylus The Sumerians used a sharpened reed called a Stylus to press markings into a clay tablet Cuneiform Sumerians began to use symbols made of wedge shapes and lines. Scribes The people who specialized in writing were called scribes. They were professional record keepers and considered highly respected by Sumerian people Pictographs Symbols known as picture writing. Sumerians drew pictographs on clay tablets Civilization Society and culture grew more complex over time and led to an advanced level of development in social and political organization Ziggurat An ancient Sumerian or Babylonian temple that rose in a series of steplike levels Mesopotamia The land between two rivers. the two rivers are the Tigris and Euphrates. Homo erectus Found in Africa, Asia, and Europe First to move out of Africa Homo habilis Found in east Africa First to make stone tools Homo sapiens Found in Africa, Europe, and Asia Physically modern humans Australopithecine Found in southern and eastern Africa First humanlike creature to walk upright Hominids A human-like creature that walks on two feet Artifact A human-made object Fossil The remains of plants or animals preserved in the ground Neanderthal Man Ancient remains found in Europe Irrigation The watering of crops Agriculture Planting seeds to raise and grow crops Domesticate To grow and take care of wild plants and animals Hammurabis Code A code of laws that is sometimes referred to as an eye for an eye. Hammurabi was a powerful king who ruled the Babylonian Empire. The code of laws included 282 laws that covered business, property, and conduct toward other people conduct is another word for behavior Fertile Crescent Land that stretched in a curve from the Mediterranean sea through Mesopotamia Fertile Crescent had rich soil and water that made the area good for farming Essential Questions??? How did farming change the way people lived? Answer: People began to settle and live in villages permanently