Sumerian Communities
What evidence shows that Sumerians were not prehistoric?
Written records
What it is called when society has enough food for its people?
A stable food supply
Records of trade were written on what?
Clay tablets
Which advancement most affected the food supply in Sumer?
The plow
Who was the leader of the very first empire in Sumer?
Sargon
Who supported Sumerian kings and gave them power in return for honor?
The gods.
What did scribes to in Sumerian government?
They wrote down laws.
Mesopotamia means land _________ ____ ________.
What is "between two rivers"
What advancement made it possible for Sumerian armies to use chariots?
The wheel.
For what is Hammurabi best remembered?
A code of laws.
Who would live in a two-story house near the center of the city in Sumer?
A government official
What is the name of Sumerian temples?
Ziggurats
True or False: There was a capital city that ruled over all of ancient Sumer.
False (independent city-states)
Which invention added strength to Sumerian buildings?
The arch
What did Akkadians sculpt on?
Stele.
What were Sumerian communities called? (bonus if you can explain WHY)
City-States
What is the writing system developed in ancient Mesopotamia called?
Cuneiform
What is a similarity in agriculture that continued through the city-states and empires of Sumer and Mesopotamia?
Irrigation systems
What was the purpose of Assyrian aqueducts?
To bring water to the city
What cultural feat are the Neo-Babylonians best known for?
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Why did the people of Sumer construct moats?
To protect cities from attack.
What was the art style developed by the Assyrians called?
Bas-relief
What was a problem caused by Sumerian city-states' independence from one another?
They could not defend themselves against stronger groups.
Why was the Babylonian legal system more advanced than other societies?
It gave women some rights.
What is a problem that all four Mesopotamian empires had difficulty with?
Controlling such a large area