Off for the Sumer
The Fertile Crescent is a area stretching in a curve-shape from the Mediterranean Sea to this body of water.
What is the Persian Gulf?
This system of writing used triangular shaped wedges carved into clay tablets.
What is cuneiform?
The Sumerians, like many early civilizations, practiced this type of religion, or the belief in many gods.
What is polytheism?
These were used by the Sumerians as a means of identifying the owner of an object. Often, they were stamped into wet clay.
What are seals?
With a dependable food supply established, these begin to develop in Mesopotamia at about 3400 BCE.
What are cities?
The name Mesopotamia means "the land between the rivers" in Greek. These are the rivers the Greeks were referring to.
What are the Tigris and Euphrates?
This was one of the first reasons cuneiform writing was developed. So that you wouldn't have to memorize everything!
What is recordkeeping?
The earliest Sumerian cities were run by priests who could reportedly speak directly to the gods, except during time of warfare, when these people were called upon to lead.
Who were military leaders?
The Sumerians were skills at making statues of realistic people. This type of sculpture involves carving so that the scene sticks out from the base material.
What is a relief?
By conquering the Mesopotamian city-states, this king created what most consider to be the world's first empire!
Who is King Sargon?
Lack of consistency in water in Mesopotamia led to the Sumerians developing technology to do this. A way of supplying their crops with water.
What is irrigate?
An early law code containing nearly 300 laws written by King Hammurabi established and enforced this; or the idea that all members of a society must obey the law.
What is a rule of law?
These pyramid-like temples were built in many Mesopotamian cities for their gods.
What are ziggurats?
The Assyrians were known for creating large, colorful reliefs on the sides of buildings, such as this famous example in Babylon which contained images of lions and dragons.
What is the Ishtar Gate?
In 1792 BCE, this man became king of Babylon and would launch a series of successful attacks creating the Babylonian Empire with Babylon as its center.
Who is King Hammurabi?
This was the first Mesopotamian city.
What is Uruk?
A breakthrough in writing, the Phoenicians developed symbols to represent syllables and sounds rather than complete ideas. Though, these were added later by the Greeks.
What are vowels?
This religion was the official religion of the Persians.
What is zoroastrianism?
The Sumerians worked extensively with this type of metal in their sculptures and artwork. It is created by combining copper with tin.
What is bronze?
The Assyrians invaded from the north long after Hammurabi's death and created a large and expansive empire. This was done, in part, with their use of soldiers on horseback, or this.
What is cavalry?
This King issued the earliest-known law code around 2100 BCE. He was the King of Ur at the time.
Who is King Ur-Nammu?
The ancient Assyrians adopted the language of this group as their own.
What are the Babylonians?
Atop the stele of Hammurabi's Code sits a relief of Hammurabi being given the code directly from this god.
Who was Shamash?
This mosaic from 2500 BCE shows Sumerian leaders holding a feast to celebrate a military victory.
What is the Standard of Ur?
This Persian king captured Babylon in 539 BCE.
Who is Cyrus the Great?