Mesopotamia Geography
What two rivers surrounded Mesopotamia?
Tigris & Euphrates River
What was built in Ancient Mesopotamia to worship their gods?
The Ziggurats
What transportation technology were the Mesopotamians the first to invent?
The wheel or the Chariot
City-States were ruled by who?
Kings
What were jobs in Ancient Mesopotamia?
what are farmers, fishers, merchants, traders, artisans, hunters, gatherers
What did the people at the top of the pyramid have?
the most power, status, and wealth
Which ruler created the world’s first empire?
Sargon
What was the land called when it was able to produce good crops?
what is fertile
What did the Ancient Mesopotamians believe in?
Many Gods (polytheism)
What agricultural achievements did the Mesopotamians create?
cultivation of soil, irrigation, domesticating animals, canals, levees
Who had control over the surrounding countryside?
city-states
What system did the Mesopotamians use to trade instead of money?
Barter System
Who makes up the Upper Class of Ancient Mesopotamia?
kings, pirests, scribes, soldiers
What was the first civilization to arise between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Sumer
What happened each spring to deposit silt that kept Mesopotamian farmland fertile.
The rivers flooded
In Ancient Mesopotamia, What does Polytheism Mean?
Believed in Multiple Gods
What was one of the world's oldest laws called?
Hammurabi's code
What do you call a group of people that have similar incomes and backgrounds?
social class
What did weaker city-states have to pay to stronger ones that conquered them?
A tribute
Who makes up the Middle Class of Ancient Mesopotamia
craftspeople, merchants, traders, wealthy commoners
How did city-states protect themselves in Mesopotamia?
large armies
they built high walls
they were surrounded by water
What is it called when you bring water to your crops through waterways and ditches?
irrigation
Who did the Mesopotamians believe could talk to their gods and keep them happy?
Priests/Priestesses
Why did the Mesopotamians need to build walls around their villages?
they were easy to invade
What was the most powerful empire in Northern Mesopotamia?
Assyrians
What did Scribes go to school for in Ancient Mesopotamia?
To learn to write / government officials
Who makes up the Lower Class of Ancient Mesopotamia?
farmers and laborers
Mesopotamia was in a region also called what?
The Fertile Crescent
What are 2 of the the early city-states of Ancient Mesopotamia?
what is Babylon, Ur, Urik, Sappir, Nippur,
What aspects did Gods control of Ancient Mesopotamian's lives?
ALL aspects
What written language did Ancient Mesopotamians Create?
Cuneiform
Who created the oldest code of law?
Hammurabi, king of the Babylonian empire
What is someone called when they go to school to learn to write and become government officials?
what are Scribes
What were the 4 classes of Mesopotamia?
upper, middle, lower, slave
In what region of the world would you find Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent?
The Middle East
Which present-day country makes up most of Mesopotamia? Iran, Israel, Egypt, Iraq
In the epic of Gilgamesh, what was the relationship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu?
Enkidu was sent by the gods to distract Gilgamesh from mistreating his subjects. They fought and then became great friends.
What is a complex society with a government, cities and specialized workers called?
A Civilization
What is a group of territories under the rule of one city or person called?
An empire
What was necessary for a community to have before it's population could increase?
A surplus of food/extra food
Explain how the upper class shifted after kings took over.
Priests were at the top of the upper class, then kings took over and shifted priests below them.
What does the word 'Mesopotamia' mean?
"The Land Between Two Rivers"