Religion
What do we call it when a religion believes in many gods?
Polytheism
Who was the first king to create a written legal code that applied to everyone?
Hammurabi (of Babylon, ~1792 BCE)
What were all pre-modern economies based on?
Agriculture (growing plants and raising animals for food and clothing)
What determined people's jobs, rights, and opportunities in Mesopotamia?
Social class (the class you were born into)
What language did boys learn to write at the e-duba temple schools?
Cuneiform
What was the huge stepped temple where priests offered feasts to the gods called?
The Ziggurat
Who created the very first empire and established a standing army?
Sargon the Great (Akkadian Empire, ~2334 BCE)
What is irrigation, and why was it important?
Making pathways for water to flow through farmland — it made watering crops easier
Name the three social classes in Mesopotamian society.
Upper class (kings, priests, nobles, officials), middle class (merchants, farmers, fishers, artisans), lower class (dependent laborers and enslaved people)
What river valley did Mesopotamians depend on for farming and travel?
The rivers (Tigris and Euphrates) — they relied on rivers to grow crops to sell and trade
Name three items from the famous god-feast offered at the temple.
12 jugs of wine, 243 loaves of bread, 21 goats, 2 bulls, 60 birds
Which king expanded Babylon into one of the most powerful cities in the ancient world and built impressive architecture?
Nebuchadnezzar II
What two metals were mixed together around 3000 BCE to create a big breakthrough material?
Copper and tin — to make bronze
Where did boys go to school to learn cuneiform, and what is cuneiform?
Temple schools called e-dubas; cuneiform is the Mesopotamian system of writing
What were Mesopotamians' religious beliefs about nature — did they think it was alive?
Yes — they believed nature had magical powers and that things like water were supernatural life forces
In Mesopotamian belief, what happened if the gods were angry or rituals were neglected?
Bad luck/disasters like famine, war, disease, or other disasters struck
How did Mesopotamians view their kings — what were they considered?
Demigods — half human, half god
Name two ways bronze improved life in Mesopotamia.
Kings equipped soldiers with bronze weapons for protection, and farmers got stronger bronze farming tools instead of bone or wood
This person sits near the temple gate with a clay bowl, has no job or protection, and survives day by day. Who am I?
A Beggar
Who were the Semites and what did they do to Sumerian religion?
They were a people who took power after the Sumerians; they kept the old religion but changed it to fit their own culture
Which famous Mesopotamian story taught that being a good person mattered most in life?
The Epic of Gilgamesh
What happened to the throne when a king died, and what did this system become known as?
His son took over — ruling became hereditary
How did trade help Mesopotamians get what they needed?
It let people get necessary goods they couldn't produce locally (like copper, timber, and precious stones) by trading with other regions
This person is one of the few who can read and write cuneiform, works at the temple or palace for a fee, and is valued everywhere. Who am I?
The Scribe
Which daily-life role could be called up as a foot soldier during wartime?
The Farmer